Press releases

Finland bears its responsibility as part of the climate finance pledge of the Paris Agreement. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Finland will announce support for adaptation measures in developing countries in particular. The COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on Monday 18 October. The main items on the agenda will be the EU’s Eastern Partnership, Ethiopia, the Persian Gulf and Nicaragua. Topical issues on the agenda will include Afghanistan, climate diplomacy, Tunisia and the Western Balkans.

The three-year term 2022-2024 is Finland’s first full membership in the Human Rights Council. Finland will continue its long-term work to promote universal human rights.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed a working group to assess the need to amend the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance (418/2017). The working group will prepare the necessary legislative amendments based on the lessons learned from the evacuation operation in Afghanistan.

The Centre of Expertise, newly established under the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI), will strengthen Finland’s role in resolving the global learning crisis. The Centre will facilitate the deployment of Finnish education sector expertise in development cooperation and support efforts to strengthen equitable and inclusive quality education in developing countries. At the same time, it will also facilitate the engagement of Finnish actors in the education sector in development cooperation assignments.

The 16th meeting of the Finnish-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation will be held in Helsinki on 14 October 2021. The Commission is co-chaired by Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari and Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. The meeting will address issues related to business environment in Finland and Russia, potential sectors of cooperation, and current topics of the Commission’s working groups. The ministers will also meet representatives of Finnish and Russian companies.

Did you know that you have collaborated with people living in Nepal, Somalia and Kenya and thus supported girls’ schooling, journalists’ training and job creation? You may be surprised, but that is all right. Development cooperation produces effective results, but we Finns know quite little about them. On 11 October, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will launch a campaign that will clarify the achievements of Finland’s development cooperation.

EU ministers of development will hold an informal video conference to exchange views on Afghanistan on Monday evening, 11 October. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting.

President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development Gilbert F. Houngbo will visit Finland on 12 October, on the invitation of Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto will meet Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta in Helsinki on 6 October.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit France and Germany on 4–8 October 2021. In Paris, Minister Skinnari will attend the annual OECD Ministerial Council Meeting and meet key French ministers and business representatives. In Stuttgart, Skinnari will participate in the business forum on the future of the automotive industry. The programme includes meetings with key German companies, and decision-makers from the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Warsaw, Poland on 4–5 October. In Warsaw, Minister Haavisto will participate in an annual panel discussion on security and the strategic situation in Eastern Europe organised by the Warsaw Security Forum.

The Government proposes EUR 1.3 billion in appropriations for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The promotion of human rights, the rule of law, democracy, peace, freedom, tolerance and equality in all international activities forms the central element of the value base on which Finland’s foreign and security policy rests. The budget proposal lays special emphasis on measures that strengthen the network of Finland’s missions abroad and support the availability of labour, participation in international crisis management, conflict prevention and mediation, and development cooperation.

Finland is hosting a meeting of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board (WAB) from 26 September to 1 October 2021.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Washington DC on 24 September. The aim of the visit is to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries and to discuss topical foreign policy themes, focusing on questions relating to Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.

At its 65th General Conference, the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA elected Finland to the IAEA Board of Governors for a two-year term from September 2021 to September 2023 with a possible extension for a third year.

The UN Food Systems Summit will be held virtually on 23 September during the UN General Assembly in New York. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, in his role as the World Food Programme’s School Meals Champion, will speak at the event on school meals.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) will be held in Kranj, Slovenia, on 2–3 September 2021. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. After the meeting, on 3–4 September, Minister Haavisto will visit Tallinn.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Japan on 1–5 September 2021. Minister Skinnari will attend the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games as a representative of Finnish state leaders and have meetings with Japanese ministers and representatives of Japanese companies.

Finland’s relief efforts in Afghanistan were complemented late on the night of Friday 27 August, when the employees of the company responsible for the security of Finnish Embassy personnel were successfully led inside the gates of Kabul Airport. The total number of these employees and their family members is 83 persons. Assisted by US troops, the group managed to get on a flight away from Kabul early this morning.

Today, on 27 August 2021, the President of the Republic approved the amendment to the Annex to the Decree of the President of the Republic on the Locations of Finland’s Diplomatic Missions and the Provision of Consular Services in the Foreign Service. The amendment will enter into force at the beginning of October.

Finland ended its relief efforts in Kabul as planned on Thursday 26 August. Both the Foreign Ministry’s relief team and the Defence Forces’ unit tasked with safeguarding the efforts have now left Afghanistan. We will continue to provide consular assistance through other means to the extent possible.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has recruited 20 new senior specialists in international business to work in 16 different countries. The intention is to increase Finnish exports in important export markets and, in particular, to help small- and medium-sized companies to work globally.

Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), will visit Finland from 30 to 31 August.

Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid will visit Helsinki on Friday 27 August at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. Schmid will also have discussions with President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

At an extraordinary meeting on 24 August, the Finnish Government decided to complement its earlier decisions and announced that Finland could admit to the country a maximum of 45 additional Afghan former employees of the Finnish Embassy in Kabul together with their families. Finland can also admit a new group of persons representing security sector employees together with their families, totalling a maximum of 83 persons.

On 25–27 August, the Europe Forum 2021 in Turku will gather Finnish opinion-makers and citizens to discuss Finland's role in Europe. The event will offer a wide range of discussions on the future of the EU and the position of Finland and the EU in the changing world order. During the Forum, the Ministers and public officials of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will contribute as speakers to events organised by other parties. In addition, on Friday 27 August the Foreign Ministry’s Europe Information will organise a discussion event on the future of an open Europe.

The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF will establish two innovation hubs in Finland. The hubs are the latest addition to the UN competence cluster built in Finland in recent years by UNOPS and UN Global Pulse.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is making preparations to expand and strengthen the network of Finnish missions abroad. A new embassy will be opened in Dakar, Senegal. The embassy would start operations at some point later this year. In September 2020, Finland reopened its embassy in Manila, the Philippines. In addition to Dakar, Finland is currently preparing to open a mission in the capital of Qatar, Doha.

Intensive efforts are under way to evacuate Finns and Afghans who have been working for the Finnish Government from Afghanistan. Around ten people were evacuated from Kabul on Saturday, and a group of 52 have boarded evacuation flights so far on Sunday. This brings the total number of evacuees to 110 at present. The evacuees are Finnish citizens or permanent residents of Finland, along with other persons who have been working for Finland, the EU and NATO, together with their families.

On Friday 20 August, the President of the Republic decided to send a Defence Forces unit to Kabul International Airport to safeguard the evacuation operation of the Finnish relief team. The decision was preceded by deliberations on a report on the matter in the plenary session of Parliament. The report was submitted to Parliament on Thursday 19 August, and the deliberations took one day. The decision to send troops was made in accordance with the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. This is the first time the Act is being applied.

Finland has proposed deploying military forces to support the Foreign Ministry’s relief team carrying out the evacuation operation in Kabul. The decision to send troops is being made in accordance with the Act on Decision-making on the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. This is the first time the Act is being applied.

Finland will provide EUR 3 million through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR to help Afghan refugees. On the World Humanitarian Day celebrated today, the crises in Afghanistan and Haiti remind us of the global humanitarian distress.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will continue evacuation of Finnish citizens, permanent residents of Finland and those who have worked for the Finnish State in close cooperation with the Finnish Defence Forces and partner countries.

The Heads of Finnish Missions abroad will convene for their annual meeting on 23-25 August. The meeting will discuss foreign policy, international relations, the state of the global economy and Finland’s positioning in the post-pandemic world. Due to COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry will hold the meeting virtually in its newly renovated premises in Merikasarmi.

The conditions for further development cooperation and the forms it will take will be assessed together with the international community and development cooperation organisations as the situation in Afghanistan becomes clearer.

A new feature is being added to the 112 Suomi mobile app. Starting on August 17, you can use the app to submit a travel notification.

The EU foreign affairs ministers will hold an informal video conference on Tuesday 17 August. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.

Due to the security situation in Afghanistan, the Finnish Embassy in Kabul can no longer conduct its activities. As a result, the Embassy will be closed until further notice on 16 August 2021. The diplomatic staff of the mission is being evacuated from the country.

The Finnish Government decided at an extraordinary meeting on 15 August that Finland can admit a maximum of 40 additional current and former Afghan employees and their families. The decision adds to the Government’s decision of 13 August to admit 130 persons to Finland. This means that 170 persons can be relocated from Afghanistan to Finland.

In response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Finnish Government decided at an extraordinary meeting on 13 August that Afghans who have worked for Finland, the EU and NATO can be admitted to Finland with their families and issued residence permits.