Values and principles guide development cooperation

Human rights-based approach and the cross-cutting objectives are the foundation of Finland's development policy and cooperation. These are used to steer Finland's development cooperation and thus global development in an increasingly sustainable and fair direction.

The cross-cutting objectives are (i) gender equality, (ii) non-discrimination, with an emphasis on disability inclusion, (iii) climate resilience, (iv) low emission development and (v) protection of the environment with an emphasis on safeguarding biodiversity. Compliance with these objectives and a human rights-based approach also ensures that development cooperation does not have negative impacts.

Implementation of human rights as a starting point

Between 2019 and 2021, 96 per cent of the funding decisions took human rights into account or actively promoted them. The share of the most ambitious projects, i.e. those addressing human rights challenges, rose from seven to more than thirteen per cent in 2015-2017.

During the reporting period, particular attention was paid to the human rights-based approach of private sector development cooperation. With Finland’s support, the Shift organisation provided training to private sector partners on the implementation of the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights. As a result, actors such as Finnfund and Finnpartnership have strengthened the integration of these principles in their activities.

Funding for gender equality has increased

The share of development cooperation funding promoting gender equality has increased notably in recent years. 76 per cent of all new funding decisions made in 2019-2021 included gender equality as a principal or significant objective, compared to around 50 per cent in 2015-2017.

Gender equality is promoted more extensively in all forms of cooperation. Gender analyses and significant objectives promoting gender equality are now also more systematically included in projects where it is not the principal objective: for example, in climate work and the education sector.

In line with the EU policy, Finland's objective is to ensure that gradually, 85 per cent of new development cooperation projects include objectives promoting gender equality. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is finalising a roadmap for achieving this objective.

Room for improvement in disability inclusion

Finland's strong global role as an advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities has strengthened in recent years, for example through the commitments made at the Global Disability Summit(Link to another website.). Even so, the level of funding for rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities during the current and previous government term has remained at only a few percent of total development cooperation funding.

In 2019-2021, the share of projects that included accessibility increased to 24 per cent from the 17 per cent it was in 2015-2017. Although progress has been made in taking accessibility into account, especially in civil society organisation projects, the range of accessibility measures and the understanding of accessibility, as well as the participation of persons with disabilities in all development cooperation, are still lacking. Persons with disabilities are often excluded from many forms of cooperation, such as in the private sector projects and multilateral organisation operations.

Climate finance on a steady growth path

During the current government term, Finland's public international climate finance is almost doubling compared to the previous government term. The share of funding decisions has increased both for climate change mitigation as well as for adaptation.

In order to ensure the long-term nature of climate work, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs published the first Plan for the Implementation of Finland’s Public International Climate Finance (2022). In addition to the level and distribution of funding, the plan outlines such things as the objectives, allocation and monitoring of the finance as well as how an increasing amount of private funding could be mobilised alongside public climate finance.

Biodiversity as an emerging theme

Funding for safeguarding biodiversity has declined dramatically in Finland's development cooperation in recent years. Attention has been drawn to this by actors such as the Development Policy Committee and the OECD.

With the approval of the Report on Development Policy Extending Across Parliamentary Terms(Link to another website.) by the Parliament in spring 2022, the theme is strengthened both as a focus area and as a cross-cutting objective. The new emphasis should be included in future financing plans.