Current Affairs

In June, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen announced Finland’s and South Africa’s joint mentoring programme for young mediators. The programme is part of the implementation of the Letter of Intent on cooperation in mediation between Finland and South Africa.

The destruction caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has further increased the importance of environmental security. Environmental cooperation is one of the priorities of Finland’s development cooperation in Ukraine, and it is financed from development cooperation appropriations administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

We, the Nordics, join the international calls for a thorough and impartial investigation of reported irregularities before and during Georgia’s 26 October parliamentary elections. It is essential to dispel doubts that have been cast on the integrity of the electoral process.

UNICEF’s Child-lens Investing Framework helps investors assess how their investments impact children and encourages investors to finance projects that improve children’s wellbeing.

Finland has granted core funding from the 2024 development cooperation appropriation as follows: EUR 25 million to the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA, EUR 19 million to UN Women, EUR 7 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, EUR 2 million to the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and EUR 1.5 million to the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP.

On 18 November, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs together with the US and UK sanctions authorities will organise a business event to discuss what it means to comply with the sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom and how the sanctions may affect your business. This is a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of the key sanctions, the associated risks, and the circumvention of sanctions.

Following the new Act on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted a national general export authorisation. The national authorisation allows businesses to export dual-use items on the national control list to certain countries simply by notifying the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Ministry has also issued guidance for businesses on export control legislation.

Finland will launch a new bilateral project in Nepal with a focus on the sustainable use of natural resources and the development of climate measures at the local level. The project will be implemented by Cowater International Finland OY.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit China on 29–30 October as part of the delegation accompanying President of the Republic Alexander Stubb on his state visit. Minister Valtonen will travel to Beijing and Shanghai.

The Ukraine Capacity Development Fund (UCDF) aims to support Ukraine’s policy and reform agenda. The fund supports on macroeconomic stabilisation, post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s path to EU membership.

France will host an international conference on the current situation in Lebanon on 24 October 2024 in Paris. Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara will represent Finland at the event.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Berlin to attend the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassies on 21 October. Foreign Minister Valtonen and her Nordic colleagues will meet Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock in connection with the event.

At the presidential session on 18 October, the President of the Republic appointed a Head of Mission to Maputo and a non-resident Ambassador to Cambodia.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will make an export promotion visit to Vietnam and the Philippines on 21–25 October, accompanied by a business delegation.

On October 16th 2024, the Nordic-Baltic countries’ foreign ministers visited Odesa, Ukraine. The visit took place against the backdrop of intensified Russian attacks against Ukraine resulting in further loss of lives, injuries, and widespread destruction. Finland is represented by Political State Secretary Pasi Rajala.

The consultation on the draft decision on a national general export authorisation has ended, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is finalising the decision.

Finland will end its crisis management participation at Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq by the end of this year. For ten years OIR has been the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. As agreed by the United States and Iraq in September, a transition phase towards the conclusion of the mission has begun. Finland joined the operation in 2015. Finland continues to support the security sector of Iraq through NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) and the EU’s civilian crisis management mission.

On 15 October 2024, the Nordic-Baltic countries’ foreign ministers will travel to Moldova. The visit comes ahead of the concurrent presidential elections and referendum on Moldova’s future relations with the European Union on 20 October. The Nordic-Baltic ministers are showing support for Moldova’s reforms and resilience in the face of intensifying hybrid attacks, and will share their experiences of membership and close relations with the European Union. Finland is represented by Political State Secretary Pasi Rajala.

The EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 14 October. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

At its session on 10 October 2024, the Government appointed a new Strategy Director to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

On 10 October 2024, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child published three views concerning Finland in response to individual complaints. Two of the communications concerned the granting of a mineral exploration permit and one the granting of an area reservation on Sami people’s traditional territory.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will visit Finland on 10–12 October. She will meet Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio met the Executive Director during the High Level Week of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will update the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security in cooperation with the Finnish National Youth Council Allianssi and the Finnish Youth, Peace and Security Network. For this purpose, young people’s views on peace and security will be canvassed using group consultations and a survey questionnaire, which is now open.

The Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann, will visit Helsinki from 10 to 11 October and meet Finnish Minister for Nordic Cooperation Anders Adlercreutz.

On 8 October 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) gave its judgment in a case concerning Finland. The Court held that there had been no violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, will visit Helsinki on 8–11 October and meet Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

The Namibian Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Peya Mushelenga, will visit Helsinki on 2–5 October and meet Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Copenhagen on 3 October. The aim of the visit is to promote the commercial and economic relations between Finland and Denmark and foreign investments in Finland. During his visit, Minister Tavio will meet Denmark’s public officials and key business representatives.

On Wednesday 2 October, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will meet France’s new Delegate Minister for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Sophie Primas and the new Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, Thani Mohamed Soilihi, to discuss topical trade and development policy issues.

Finland will participate in a joint European Union table-top exercise the EU Integrated Resolve PACE 2024. The aim of the exercise is to improve the EU’s crisis response capacity.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will travel to Türkiye in the delegation of President of the Republic Alexander Stubb on 1–2 October.

Press release by Ministry of Transport and Communications and Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Finland has joined the US-led multilateral declaration on submarine cable security. The parties to the declaration agreed on common objectives and means for improving the security and resilience of submarine cables.

Since the seizure of power by the Taliban de facto authorities, the women and girls of Afghanistan have been subjected to the most severe systematic human rights violations.

Following Finland’s reform of the Act on Export Control of Dual-Use Items, the United States has added Finland to the list of IEC eligible destinations from 17 September 2024.

The September issue of Kauppapolitiikka explores the current state of the Finnish export sector and the challenges it is facing in the international market. Finland’s share of world trade is diminishing, which affects people’s standard of living and creates challenges for general government finances. Turning this trend around will require perseverance and wide-ranging measures.

The Finnish Government proposes a total of EUR 1.2 billion in appropriations for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for 2025. As part of general government adjustment measures, additional savings totalling EUR 115 million have been allocated to the administrative branch.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen delivered the Nordic-Baltic speech at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on 23 September 2024.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Berlin on 24 September to discuss topical foreign policy questions.

On September 17, the European Union countries (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) sharing the border with Russia, had their 3rd meeting on sanctions co-operation. In the meeting in Tallinn, the representatives of the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Customs Agencies discussed effective implementation of sanctions and prevention of sanctions circumvention.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is consulting exporters on the draft decision on a national general export authorisation until 14 October 2024.

This is the last time during its membership period 2022–2024 that Finland will participate as a Member in the regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. In accordance with established practice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited the representatives of the civil society to exchange views on Finland’s objectives and priorities for the upcoming session. The Human Rights Council (HRC) is the UN’s most important intergovernmental body promoting and protecting human rights. The HRC’s 57th session started on 9 September and ends on 11 October.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, will visit Finland on 19 September and discuss the current humanitarian and refugee situation with Finland’s political leadership.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Vienna on 19 September. She will outline the preliminary priorities of the incoming Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship to the organisation’s Permanent Council, which has representatives from the 57 participating States and 11 Partners of Cooperation.