Leaders’ Summit on Refugees

Speech by H.E. Mr. Timo Soini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
UN General Assembly 71, New York , 20 September 2016.

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Thank you, Mr. President, for your initiative and for your strong vision. It is an honour to be here today.

We are witnessing an extraordinary rise in global displacement. The current crisis has been felt acutely also in Europe, including my own country.

We fully recognize the urgency of responding to the situation and the burden on those hosting large numbers of refugees. Resolving conflicts through political means and mediation is the only lasting solution. We must also tackle the underlying causes: instability, conflict and environmental problems, including climate change.

We are here today, because we are determined to provide durable solutions and create dignified circumstances for refugees. It is our common interest to share this responsibility. I want to highlight some actions that Finland considers best practice and that we are committed to carrying out.

Finland has resettled refugees since 1979. We highly value the cooperation with UNHCR. It allows us to focus on persons most in need of international protection.

Resettlement is a safe way to provide international protection. It minimizes the space left for those seeking to exploit the refugees. We strongly encourage more countries to come on board, to develop and implement resettlement programmes.

We are taking refugees to Finland also through other ways. This year, and next year as well, we expect to grant several thousand residence permits to refugees based on asylum applications and family reunifications.

We are also doing our part to alleviate the crisis in the Mediterranean by supporting rescue operations and by implementing the EU Emergency Relocation Mechanism. Finland has committed to relocating circa 3 200 asylum seekers over two years.

Finland is a steadfast supporter of the UNHCR. Overall in 2016 Finland supports responses to refugee situations by over 194 million dollars. We pay particular attention to the rights of women and girls as well as the disabled. We seek a positive impact through innovative approaches in the field of private sector and NGO co-operation.

Mr. President, I would like to end by giving recognition to all those who endure displacement. Our hearts must go out to them. I also want to pay tribute to those who are working selflessly to help those in need. I join your call for all of us to do more, and to truly stand with refugees.

YK