Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Finland
Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will visit Finland on 6–7 September and meet Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen.
The ICRC is one of the most important international humanitarian assistance organisations. It emphasises its impartiality and takes action especially in conflict situations. Yves Daccord from Switzerland has served as Director-General of the ICRC since 2010.
In Finland, Daccord will meet Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen and the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament. He will also participate in the annual consultations between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the ICRC. The topics on the agenda of the consultations include the world humanitarian situation, Finland's support for the ICRC, and questions relating to the international humanitarian law.
The ICRC is the third biggest recipient of Finland's humanitarian assistance. Its work focuses on the protection of civilians, family reunification, safeguarding the operation of health centres, and water and sanitation. In 2018, Finland's funding to the ICRC totals EUR 10.7 million, the majority of which is channelled via the Finnish Red Cross. The targets of the support are Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia and South Sudan. The Finnish Red Cross participates in the ICRC's operations by providing financial, material and technical assistance.
Inquiries concerning the visit: Claus Lindroos, Director of the Unit for Humanitarian Assistance and Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 40 1321416.
More information about humanitarian operations: Kalle Löövi, Director of International Operations, Finnish Red Cross, tel. +358 40 828 0880.
Requests for interviews: Noora Kero, Communications Specialist, Finnish Red Cross, tel. + 358 40 581 1063, noora.kero@punainenristi.fi
The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi