Helsinki Ambassadors on the Run in honour of women and peace work

Finnish Ambassador Kai Sauer organised a run to celebrate the anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The length of the run was established according to the serial number of the resolution at 13.25 kilometres. Runners ready to go. Photo: MFA / Vilma Paavilainen

In addition to Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Security Policy Kai Sauer, the Helsinki Ambassadors on the Run event was joined by the Ambassadors of Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland and Canada to Finland.

The 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security will be celebrated on 31 October 2020. It aims to protect women and girls in armed conflicts and to strengthen their role and power of decision in the prevention of conflicts and peacebuilding contexts.

Finland has been among the strongest supporters of the 1325 Resolution and has promoted its implementation multilaterally, bilaterally and through UN Women. According to Sauer, defending the resolution is particularly topical this year.

“It is important for Finland to support equality and women's growing role in all areas of crisis management. There is an increasing number of crises around the world but, due to the ongoing pandemic, efforts to resolve them have more or less stalled. Equality work is under pressure in the world also in many other respects.”

Enthusiastic response

Lab Manager of UN Technology Innovation Labs Finland (UNTIL Finland) Razi Latif and his spouse took part in the run together with a large number of staff members from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The route started from Museokatu street and continued through the districts of Töölö, Hietaniemi and Lapinlahti. The patron and starter of the event was former Minister of Justice Elisabeth Rehn, who has served, among other things, as UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and a UN Human Rights Observer.

The route was run twice to complete the set number of 13,25 kilometres. Sauer, who is an active runner also during his free time, has already run seven marathons. The ambassadors’ joint run was also a suitable way to call attention to an important theme, which is why he hopes that the move will not remain a one-off event. 

“We invited similar groups for a run in New York, Brussels and Nairobi, which all welcomed the idea with enthusiasm. This was not a competition for the best time, but the motto of the event was “leave no one behind” in the spirit of the goals of the 2030 Agenda."