Girls’ education the key to equitable development


Ms Suvi-Anne Siimes, Minister for International Development Cooperation, represented Finland in a round-table discussion between some 40 Heads of State and Government in the Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 3 September 2002. The idea of the discussion was to consider various ways to implement the Johannesburg conclusions. The round table was attended, among others, by the prime ministers of Japan and China, the President of Yugoslavia and the President of Venezuela, who is leading the group of developing countries.

In her address, Minister Siimes underlined the importance of the commitment to halve abject poverty as is stated in the objectives of the UN Millennium Declaration. According to Minister Siimes, meeting the objective will prove that a country has truly fulfilled its commitment. She rejected any new worldwide objectives. In addition, Minister Siimes emphasized the importance of the developing countries’ own management of their finances and international investments together with the fact that all industrialized countries, including Finland, have to meet the ODA target of 0.7% of GNP if they really take the Millennium Declaration and its objectives seriously. She is of the opinion that, in every country, the ministries of finance should engage in cooperation with the foreign ministries in an effort to solve the ODA issue. Minister Siimes also said that there is no reason to be afraid of the idea of a global taxation system. It could be explored and tried.

Minister Siimes said that the Finnish international development cooperation focuses intensively on education, especially girls’ education, which plays a key role in the process towards a more humane and socially equitable world.

Minister Siimes advocated more cooperation and partnership between the research community, the public and private sectors and civil society. A case in point is the partnership project between universities of the north and south, which was published in Johannesburg and in which also Finnish universities take part. Minister Siimes said that in the field of science, the question is not only about technological development but additional investments need to be made in the social and human sciences, too, in order to create such new ideas on a global basis as will contribute to welfare models and local democracy and the role of women. Innovations related to them might thus help even the poorest. Information technology and information networks must also be harnessed to the cause of poverty reduction.

For further information, please contact Senior Adviser to the Minister Rauno Merisaari, tel. +358 40 724 0517.








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