Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the International Conference on Environmental Safety, Point 8 of the Ukraine's Peace Formula, Helsinki 19 October 2024

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's opening speech at the International Conference on Environmental Safety, Point 8 of the Ukraine's Peace Formula, Helsinki 19 October 2024. (Check against delivery).

Your Excellencies, Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,

It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you to this high-level conference.  

I am also doing so on behalf of the other co-chairs of this working group, Germany and Bulgaria. 

I am especially honoured to be opening this conference together with my dear friend and colleague Mr Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Mr Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.  

Finland’s support to Ukraine is unwavering and self-evident. 

Ukraine is not only fighting for its survival – it is also defending the rules-based international order.

It is shocking to see Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, violating its obligations under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security.  

Russia’s war of aggression has had tragic consequences well beyond Ukraine and Europe, especially for global food and energy security.

It has taken a devastating toll on the environment.   

We know this thanks to the report by the High-Level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of the War.

Dangerous chemicals have been released from damaged industrial sites, the militarisation of nuclear sites poses horrifying threats, the devastation of towns and cities and the burning of forests have had dire effects on air quality,  we have seen economic and ecological damage to agricultural areas, forests and natural reserves, we have witnessed water pollution and the destruction of water infrastructure, and sensitive ecosystems have become terribly polluted, including in coastal and marine areas. For this destruction to stop, the war needs to end.  

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine highlights the importance of a society’s resilience. 

The resilience of Finnish society to crises is based on the ability to maintain the vital functions of society under all circumstances. We call this the comprehensive security approach.

Finland is making its expertise and lessons learned available to Ukraine and other countries, within the framework for European security and defence cooperation.

Comprehensive security means we need to identify and manage strategic dependencies. 

We need measures to protect critical technologies, diversify production and supply chains for raw materials, and reduce critical dependencies.

There is growing strategic competition for resources and technologies that are essential for the energy transition and the phasing out of fossil fuel. This has further accelerated since Russia began its aggression against Ukraine.

The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right.  
Ukraine’s future depends on it.

Esteemed colleagues, let me once again thank you for coming together here today as we continue our work for a free and secure Ukraine.