Ahtisaari Days make Finnish peace mediation work known
Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and President Martti Ahtisaari published the content of the Ahtisaari Days at the press conference held on Monday, 4 April. The first part of the Ahtisaari Days will be the 10th anniversary seminar of the Crisis Management Initiative organisation, to be held on 19 April.
The purpose of the Ahtisaari Days is to make peace mediation work more widely known by emphasising the meaning of education, knowledge and communication in particular. The Days will consist of three separate parts, including a gathering of international experts, an event for the public, and happenings to be held in schools.
This year, the expert part of the Ahtisaari Days will consist of the 10th anniversary seminar of CMI at the Finnish National Theatre on 19 April. The high-level stakeholder seminar of international peace mediation work will be attended by, for instance, the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The part organised for the general public will be an open discussion with President Ahtisaari. It will be held at the University of Oulu in November, around the time when the name day of Martti is celebrated (11 November). The event can be followed on a live webcast; the objective is that as many Finns as possible could participate in this event via the Internet.
In accordance with the country brand report, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs proposes that the Ahtisaari Days be celebrated also in schools, for example, as a day dedicated for reconciliation.
“When we are discussing the issues of peace mediation and reconciliation, the learning of such matters begins at quite an early stage, in fact, as early as in our primary schools. Therefore, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs wants to pass this mission on to Minister of Education Henna Virkkunen,” Stubb pointed out.
The original idea came from the country brand committee
The country brand committee outlined solution-oriented approach and functionality as key strengths of Finland, and assigned the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with a mission to organise an annual peace mediation event, which would be called the Ahtisaari Days.
Foreign Minister Stubb accepted the mission and considers the Ahtisaari Days an important initiative by means of which it is possible to enhance international cooperation in peace mediation and highlight Finnish expertise in the arena. In the future, Finland wants to make even stronger commitments to peace mediation. By means of peace mediation, it is possible to affect conflicts in their various stages. In the best-case scenario, conflicts are prevented even before they arise.
Additional information: Veera Heinonen, Director of Communications, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5800, Elina Lehtinen, Communications Manager, CMI, tel. +358 9 424 2810 (inquiries concerning the CMI anniversary seminar)