UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to visit Finland

On his visit to Finland on Tuesday 27 May, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher will meet with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

Fletcher leads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is responsible for international coordination of UN humanitarian action and channels aid in the event of sudden-onset disasters and crises. The Under-Secretary-General and the OCHA also play an important role in humanitarian diplomacy, aimed at improving the access of humanitarian assistance to people in need.

Under-Secretary-General Fletcher and Minister Tavio will discuss topical humanitarian crises, including in Ukraine and in the Middle East, the reform of the humanitarian system led by Fletcher, and Finland’s support to the OCHA.

“The UN has the leading role in coordinating humanitarian aid, and OCHA is a key partner for Finland. We strongly support  the humanitarian system reform, led by Under-Secretary-General Fletcher, to make the system more effective. Finland finds it very important that assistance will reach the most vulnerable,” Minister Tavio says.

Finland provides OCHA with multiannual core funding and supports the OCHA-administered Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), prepared to swiftly channel funding in the event of sudden-onset emergencies. Finland also supports country-based pooled funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and in Ethiopia. In the first half of 2025, Finland’s funding for OCHA has totalled EUR 14.5 million.

On his visit to Helsinki, Under-Secretary-General Fletcher will also meet with President of the Republic Alexander Stubb, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, and media representatives.