Ministers Valtonen and Tavio to attend high-level week of UN General Assembly in New York

The high-level meetings of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) will start in New York on Monday 18 September. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend ministerial events in New York and have bilateral meetings with their counterparts and with representatives of the UN. Minister Tavio’s programme will also include meetings to promote Finland’s commercial and economic interests in the New York metropolitan area.

Themes of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly include progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, climate, and pandemic preparedness. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its global impacts feature prominently on the agenda. The high-level week is an opportunity to emphasise the significance of multilateral processes and international rules-based cooperation in solving global challenges.

Finland’s delegation will be led by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, who will deliver Finland’s statement in the general debate on Wednesday 20 September.

The ministers’ programmes focus on finding common solutions to global crises

Events of the high-level week include the SDG Summit on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals on 18–19 September, the Climate Ambition Summit on 20 September and high-level meetings on pandemic preparedness, financing for development, universal health coverage and fight against tuberculosis between 20 and 22 September. In addition, a ministerial meeting will take place on 21 September to prepare for the UN Summit of the Future.

Minister Valtonen’s meetings during the week will focus on topical crises, including especially the global effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as peace mediation and regional crises, promotion of human rights and gender equality, and support to multilateral cooperation in this challenging global situation. She will have bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of other countries and with UN leaders. Minister Valtonen will also attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in New York on 18 September.

Minister Tavio’s programme during the high-level week will focus on the advancement of the rights of women and girls, the promotion of digitalisation and innovation, bearing in mind Finnish solutions, and the role of the private sector in speeding up sustainable development. He will have bilateral meetings with ministers of other countries and with leaders of UN specialised agencies. Minister Tavio’s programme will also include meetings to promote Finland’s commercial and economic interests in the New York metropolitan area. He will attend a meeting of Nordic development ministers, with particular emphasis on support to Ukraine.

Finland’s activities in the UN are based on defending the rules-based international system and on strengthening multilateral cooperation. Finland’s key priorities in this work are conflict prevention, peace mediation, the promotion of gender equality and human rights as well as sustainable development and climate change mitigation. The UN high-level week is a valuable opportunity to strengthen cooperative relations, to engage in dialogue and to highlight themes that are important for Finland.

• President Niinistö to attend UN General Assembly in New York (Press release by the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland, 13 September)