Ministers are being challenged by the youth in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs programme at the World Village Festival

On Saturday, at 13–13.30, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will meet members of youth network Changemaker. The event can be followed online.

The Ministers will be interviewed on the topic ‘Future world?’ by Joanna Slama and Iida Silfverhuth from the Changemaker network, which is part of Finn Church Aid.

They will challenge the Ministers to talk about climate change, matters concerning the use of internet and the opportunities for young people to influence in a global context. What can Finland do to make sure young people get their voices heard?

Nature's loss of species – What can Finland do?

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will provide the documentary film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet to be viewed at the Festival on Saturday, at 13.30–15. In the film, over a 90-year-old naturalist David Attenborough describes the loss of species recorded during his lifetime across the globe.

The legendary nature documentarist expresses his views on questions concerning the future of humankind.

The film will be available through the Festival site free-of-charge until the fourth of June or until it reaches the limit of 500 views. It is not recommended for children below the age of 7 years.

The film will be followed by a discussion “What can Finland do to play a role?” at 15–15.30.  Secretary General of WWF Finland Liisa Rohweder will discuss the topics arising from the film with Professor Eeva Furman, Director of the Finnish Environment Institute, and Climate Ambassador Jan Wahlberg from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

In the discussion, the question will be asked: how Finland can influence the global preservation of natural diversity.  Another topic will be how to use development cooperation to support developing countries in their adaptation to climate change.

Live stream of the events can be viewed as a recording later

There will be an online chat for questions to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs during the discussions. The website representing the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at the Festival can be found on a subpage of the World Village Festival event. The subpages will be published on Friday, 28 May.

The programmes will be available on the Festival's digital platform even after the Festival weekend, until the fourth of June.  The Festival has set a maximum viewer limit of 500 per film.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is one of the main partners of the World Village Festival.  In 2020, the Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. In 2021, the Festival will be held virtually for the first time. 

Hanna Päivärinta

The author works as a Communications Officer at the Department for Communications in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.