Current Affairs

This autumn, food systems will be highlighted both at the UN Food Systems Summit and in Mikirotta’s YouTube channel.

Minister Ville Skinnari will visit Lisbon on 21–24 September 2021. The aim of the visit is to strengthen the commercial relations between Finland and Portugal. Portugal offers significant opportunities for Finnish companies in such areas as bioeconomy and circular economy, energy, climate and digital transitions.

The high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly, which marks an annual special event for global cooperation, begins on 20 September. The week provides Finland with an opportunity to strengthen its cooperative relations and to highlight themes that are important for foreign and security policy.

The high-level meetings of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will start in New York on Monday 20 September. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend ministerial events in New York and have bilateral meetings with his counterparts and with representatives of the UN. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at several high-level meetings held in virtual format during the week.

The government proposal on the introduction of a long-term national D visa in Finland promotes labour migration and includes the preparation of a fast track pledge. According to the proposal, the national D visa would first cover specialists, growth or start-up entrepreneurs and their family members.

The Government has appointed Mikko Koivumaa as Director General of Communications at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs starting on 18 October 2021. The term of office will be five years. Koivumaa is currently Director of Communications at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

In future, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will update its travel advice for each country individually. In our advice, we will continue to take into account the recommendations with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and the general security situation in the country in question.

Finland is coordinating the cooperation between the Nordic countries and Baltic states in the Nordic–Baltic Eight (NB8) format in 2021. The NB8 foreign ministers’ meeting will be held on 15 September at Vanajanlinna, Hämeenlinna. The NB8 countries and the Visegrád Group (V4) will have a joint meeting at foreign ministerial level on the previous day, 14 September. The V4 countries are Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Finland will strengthen the capacity to receive visa applications in Russia starting on 1 October 2021. As of that date, Finland's Visa Application Centres in Russia will accept applications from business customers and from all applicants whose multiple-entry Schengen visa, issued by Finland for at least two years, has expired.

Today, on 13 September 2021, the United Nations is organising a High-level Ministerial Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan. The UN estimates that approximately half of the population of the country need humanitarian assistance. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting.

Finland is coordinating the cooperation between the Nordic countries and Baltic states in the Nordic–Baltic Eight (NB8) format in 2021. The NB8 foreign ministers’ meeting will be held on 15 September at Vanajanlinna, Hämeenlinna. The NB8 countries and the Visegrád Group (V4) will have a joint meeting at foreign ministerial level on the previous day, 14 September. The V4 countries are Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Nordic Ministers for Cooperation will meet under the leadership of Minister Thomas Blomqvist in Mariehamn 13-14 September 2021. At the meeting, the ministers will prepare the Nordic Council of Ministers’ budget for 2022 and explore the state of the Nordic freedom of movement when they meet the Freedom of Movement Council. The fourth ministerial meeting during the Finnish Presidency will be held in close cooperation with the Åland Islands and will be part of the celebrations for its 100th anniversary as an autonomous region.

At the presidential session on Friday 10 September 2021, the President of the Republic appointed new non-resident ambassadors.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will launch a crowdsourced information security testing for some of its public online services on 22 September 2021. The so-called bug bounty program will be implemented in cooperation with Hackrfi, a company specialising in bug bounty program management. In the program, security researchers and hackers examine and scan vulnerabilities in selected targets, working subject to a set of clear boundaries. Participating hackers will be paid rewards based on eligible vulnerability reports.

Finland will participate in the EU cooperation that enables donation of COVID-19 vaccines purchased in advance. During this autumn, about 3.6 million vaccines will be donated to developing countries. The vaccine donations will not slow down the rollout of vaccinations in Finland.

The rescue and evacuation operation in Afghanistan was in many ways unique and historic. Finland evacuated more than 400 people from Afghanistan in three weeks. This was possible through cooperation with national and international actors and between different departments of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The relief team at Kabul Airport played a key role, but the input of dozens of people both in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki and in many foreign missions was also required.

Finland supports the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) by EUR 3.6 million between 2021 and 2023 to develop value chains in sustainable forestry, mining and circular economy and to create jobs in developing countries. The project also includes a section strengthening the position of women and promoting gender equality in the work of UNIDO. The agreement was signed in Vienna on 8 September.

Finland will participate in an online Human Rights Pledging Event held by international human rights organisations on Wednesday 8 September. At the event, the countries standing for candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2022–2024 will reply to questions posed by the public, organisations and state representatives.