Multilateral cooperation allows Finland to influence decisions that provide solutions to complex global challenges. Strengthening this work was one of the objectives of the Government Programme in 2019.
In 2019-2021, approximately half of Finland's development cooperation appropriations were channelled through international organisations and the EU. The success of cooperation is monitored annually with the help of Finland's own policy influencing plans. In addition to this, international evaluations and separate evaluations are implemented.
The international MOPAN network evaluates the management and results of multilateral actors. In 2019-2021, MOPAN published evaluations of 25 multilateral actors. According to the evaluations, Finland's most important partners were very successful in achieving their objectives. It was determined that performance was only hampered at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) due to the slowness of its project cycle. The evaluations found that the UN Population Fund UNFPA, UN Women and UNICEF had accomplished their objectives exceptionally well. However, most partners still had room for improvement in the cost-effectiveness of their operations.
The first independent evaluation of Finland's influence on 23 multilateral partner organisations was completed in 2020. The evaluation confirms that Finland has achieved significant changes in the strategies, policies and operating methods of the organisations. Finland has had more influence than could be expected on the basis of the funding it provides or the share of votes it has.
In the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the competent and experienced personnel, thematic expertise, long-term and multi-channel activities including cooperation with other actors have been the cornerstones of policy influence. Finland has gained a reputation as a theme leader, especially in the areas of gender equality, the rights of persons with disabilities, education, technology and innovation.
For example, Finland's investment in experts in inclusive education and the rights of persons with disabilities has produced concrete results in the World Bank's strategies and educational materials. Finland has also played an active role in mainstreaming the inclusion of persons with disabilities during the International Development Agency’s (IDA) additional funding rounds in 2019-2021.
According to the evaluation, the management of policy influence at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has promoted learning, the establishment of good practices and reporting to Parliament. However, the added value produced by the policy influencing plans in relation to the work done is not always considered sufficient. Challenges related to the work include limited human resources and available time. Furthermore, current or previous Finnish employees of multilateral organisations have hardly been utilised in advocacy work. The evaluation encourages the continuation and strategic development of policy influence.
