Current Affairs

At the presidential session on Friday 26 February, the President of the Republic appointed new Ambassadors and a new Consul General.

The fight against disinformation is important also from the perspective of the realisation of human rights. Disinformation is a challenging issue, because it has not been defined in international law, and there is not a straightforward way to distinguish misleading information from correct information. The Finnish Coalition Chair will pay special attention to the introduction of normative instruments for internet stakeholders.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has sent the draft law concerning the amendment of the Aliens Act, prepared in cooperation with the authorities, for a round of consultation. It proposes that Finland would also adopt the national D visa. The proposal establishes the visa application and the prerequisites for issuing.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and UN Secretary-General António Guterres held a discussion on Monday 22 February 2021.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has launched projects to promote peace and reconciliation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The aim of the projects that are expected to last until 2023 is to encourage young people to work for peace and to use media skills as a way of exerting influence. The Ministry's Communications Department is responsible for the projects.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) opens a call for proposals for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs). The application round will run from 15 February to 26 March 2021.

The year 2021 will be a “super year” for climate change and biodiversity. Finland's own ambitious climate objectives are internationally credible and open up plenty of opportunities. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari discuss the prospects.

At the presidential session on Friday 12 February, the President of the Republic appointed new Ambassadors to Bern, Hanoi, Nairobi and Tehran.

A new evaluation of Finland’s cooperation with partner countries to strengthen their economies, create jobs and improve livelihoods shows that Finland’s work has yielded good results in the energy sector, taxation, innovation and the economic empowerment of women.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs urges to avoid all travel to the Brazil, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and the United Kingdom in accordance with the recommendation of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. For all other countries, the Foreign Ministry’s general travel advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic is to avoid all but essential travel.

Together with its Member States, the European Union is the world's largest donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA). In this third article in our series on EU development cooperation, Olai Voionmaa, Head of the Political, Press and Information Section at the EU delegation to Niger, tells us about the EU’s activities in Niger.

At the presidential session on Friday 29 January, the President of the Republic decided to appoint new Ambassadors to Stockholm and Beijing and a new Consul General to Los Angeles.

The municipal elections will be held on Sunday 18 April 2021. Advance voting will be possible abroad from 7 to 10 April 2021. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organisation of advance voting abroad.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is participating in the international programme and will be present among the virtual exhibitors at the Educa goes digital event on 29–30 January. At the event, on Friday, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will take part in a panel discussion on the topic of the global learning crisis.

The coronavirus crisis has hit companies in developing countries hard. Finland has increased its guarantees to development finance institution Finnfund, which will strengthen the targeting of its investments to the companies of the poorest countries as well as promote economic and social development.

Tuesday 26 January 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Finland and Latvia. Finland was the first Nordic country to recognise de jure Latvia’s independence on 26 January 1921. A multitude of special events will take place in Finland and in Latvia throughout this year to commemorate the occasion.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs urges to avoid all travel to the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa in accordance with the recommendation of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. For all other countries, the Foreign Ministry’s general travel advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic is to avoid all but essential travel.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has decided that the suspension of direct passenger flights from the UK, Ireland and South Africa to Finland be continued until 25 January 2021. Due to the decision, many travellers find that returning to Finland is even more difficult than before or may be prevented altogether.

Experts preparing for the 2021 UN summits will meet youth to discuss the protection of biodiversity and climate action. The event is organised by the British Embassy, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and WWF Finland.

At the 2020 Afghanistan Conference in November Afghanistan and the international community committed to joint development objectives for 2021-2024 and the international partners announced pledges worth US$ 3.3 billion for this year alone. Hard work now lies ahead, in making the commitments count for the benefit of the Afghan people. Ahead of the Conference, Afghan artist group Art Lords together with Afghans in five provinces painted murals on blast walls - that now serve as reminders of the hopes of the people.