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19.1.2023 | In 2022, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of approximately 256,000 customers. The demand for advisory services, in particular, continued to grow. During the year, the ministry’s 24/7 service received more than 8,000 contacts in total.

14.6.2022 | On 14–16 June 2022, Finland will serve for the second time in succession as president of the session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Representatives from more than 180 countries are expected to attend the conference in New York. A large number of representatives of civil society organisations and UN agencies, dedicated to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, will also attend the conference.

22.11.2022 | Finland’s Ambassador for Climate Change Jan Wahlberg says that while the Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt has been criticised for its weak results, progress was nevertheless made to help the world’s poorest countries stricken by climate disasters. Future conferences of the parties will decide on the structure of the fund and its sources of finance.

15.2.2022 | The second year of the pandemic was busy for the consular assistance services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland's missions abroad, and the number of customers continued to increase. In 2021, the Ministry and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of 255,000 customers.

9.3.2023 | Finns are once again actively travelling abroad. Over the years, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been reminding travellers of things to take into account when travelling abroad to make sure their trip runs as smoothly as possible.

3.1.2023 | The Finnish rescue services responded to about 100,700 emergency calls last year, of which about 66,600 were urgent. Of these calls, 11,856 were fires and 16,210 were traffic accidents. The total number of emergency calls was slightly lower than the average in preceding years. For example, in 2018–2020, the average number of emergency calls responded by the rescue services was over 107,000 a year.

21.1.2022 | Core funding to international humanitarian organisations is a rapid and effective way to respond to sudden-onset natural disasters and protracted crises. Finland’s 27.5-million-euro funding will help UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to operate in areas where people need help, and to plan their operations flexibly.

6.2.2023 | Finland is rapidly sending a team of experts to Türkiye to assist in rescue efforts following a major earthquake. The experts will be deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

1.2.2023 | Member of Parliament Suldaan Said Ahmed visited the Horn of Africa region in January. It was his third visit as Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto’s Special Representative on Peace Mediation. “Involving young people in peace processes and taking into account the diaspora from the region are important themes for me,” Said Ahmed says.

16.2.2023 | Under-Secretary of State Pasi Hellman from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will attend the pledging conference of the Education Cannot Wait fund in Geneva 16 to 17 February. The fund supports education in humanitarian and prolonged crises. Finland will grant two million euros to the Education Cannot Wait fund this year. In 2020–2022, Finland supported the fund by a total of EUR 6 million.

28.2.2023 | Over the weekend and on Monday, Finland sent more material assistance to the areas hit by the earthquake in Türkiye. Some of the assistance will be delivered from Türkiye to Syria. There is still a great need for material assistance, such as emergency accommodation and heating, in the region.

7.2.2023 | Finland will be sending EUR 1 million in humanitarian assistance to Türkiye and Syria through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The support will be used to provide food, shelter, medical supplies and psychosocial support to people who lost their homes in the two countries.

3.3.2023 | State Secretary Johanna Sumuvuori will lead Finland’s national delegation to the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar. More than one third of Finland’s development cooperation funding goes to the least developed countries, which also make up the majority of Finland’s bilateral partners.

14.6.2023 | A recent survey shows that 85 per cent of Finns believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increases the need for development cooperation and humanitarian aid. However, attitudes towards development cooperation are dividing Finns.

17.11.2022 | Nepal and Finland have a long history of development cooperation that dates back to the 1980s. Long-term development cooperation has helped Nepal reduce poverty, improve literacy and give almost everyone access to clear drinking water, according to Finland’s Ambassador to Nepal Riina-Riikka Heikka.

19.1.2024 | In 2023, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 244,000 customers. The demand for advisory services remained high. Over the course of the year, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 8,000 times in total.

25.7.2023 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland is preparing to send 48 rescue workers to Portugal to help manage wildfires. The Emergency Services Academy Finland is the employer of the rescue service personnel who will be deployed to Portugal.

7.9.2023 | The Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was held in Kyiv on 6 September 2023 on the invitation of Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine. The summit also brought together health ministers from EU Member States and WHO European Region who signed a statement at the event. 

20.10.2023 | Because of the escalating conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 100,000 Armenians have fled the region towards Armenia. Armenia has therefore requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This includes, among other things, necessities such as food packages, clothing and hygiene supplies.

17.1.2023 | The European Commission is funding the EU’s first chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear strategic reserve in Finland, under rescEU, which includes personal protective equipment, measuring equipment, pharmaceuticals and antibodies in Finland for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear accidents.