Permanent State Secretary Salovaara to attend UN Human Rights Council session and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva

Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara will visit Geneva, Switzerland, from 25 to 26 February. He will deliver Finland’s address to a High-Level Segment of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council and to a High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament.

Permanent State Secretary Salovaara will attend a high-level side event on Russia’s war of aggression. The event is organised by Ukraine and supported by Finland. He will also attend a high-level debate, organised by Finland, on the realisation of democracy and gender equality in the digital era.

The Permanent State Secretary will also have bilateral meetings with, among others, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan and UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif.

Finland served on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2022–2024. As a member, Finland consistently defended the HRC’s global task of promoting and protecting human rights and the work of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Since January 2025, Finland has participated in the HRC as an observer. Finland will continue its long-term efforts to promote universal human rights in cooperation with all stakeholders.