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12.9.2022 | The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and accelerating climate change have led to a situation in Finland and globally where the future seems rather uncertain. In the midst of uncertainty, decision-making is difficult. Finland will hold parliamentary elections in spring 2023, and the new Government Programme will outline policies for the next few years.

16.9.2021 | Minister of Science and Culture Antti Kurvinen has signed a decision by which Finland endorses the Davos Declaration. The Davos Declaration promotes and advocates interest in high-quality design and construction of built environments, which embrace cultural expressions of buildings and environmental planning while also fulfilling functional, technical and economic requirements. The Davos Declaration was originally published in 2018 in connection with the World Economic Forum.

22.4.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2027–2030. Both the global economy and Finland’s finances are facing challenges. In its spending limits session, the Government focused on new targeted measures to strengthen people’s confidence in the future and improve the conditions for growth and employment.

15.1.2026 | Today the Government decided in its plenary session to submit to Parliament the Government Report on the Application of Language Legislation in 2025. The report provides important monitoring data on the current state of Finland’s national languages and other indigenous languages and on the realisation of linguistic rights.

23.8.2021 | Distinguished Ministers and Heads of Mission, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the 2021 Meeting of Heads of Mission! As you can see from the picture, I am here in the familiar Engel Hall in the newly renovated premises of Merikasarmi. While on the face of it this space may appear to be the same as before, the Ritarikatu Hall, where the panel discussions are being held, is not easily recognisable.

27.2.2023 | The majority of Finns consider that Finland can improve its competitiveness by investing in climate solutions and new kinds of competencies. Besides climate change, biodiversity loss has emerged as a serious environmental crisis, and the majority of the people are of the opinion that solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss should be sought as a whole.

10.8.2021 | The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed progress in the global education goals by two decades. The crisis has dropped many children out of school and deteriorated the quality of education. Finnish development cooperation in the education sector tackles the global learning crisis by promoting the quality of education. Particular attention is paid to girls and to children and youth in the most vulnerable position.

29.4.2021 | In its mid-term policy review, the Government outlined extensive measures to strengthen employment and public finances and to promote people’s wellbeing in Finland in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decisions in the mid-term review include policies to strengthen growth, to continue on the path to carbon neutrality and to reduce inequality. The measures have been integrated into the 2022–2...

29.9.2021 | The World Bank’s new Coach programme aims to improve learning outcomes by supporting teacher professional development (TPD) in developing countries. Finland supports the global part of the initiative and its piloting in Mozambique.

29.4.2021 | In its mid-term policy review, the Government outlined extensive measures to strengthen employment and public finances and to promote people’s wellbeing in Finland in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decisions in the mid-term review include policies to strengthen growth, to continue on the path to carbon neutrality and to reduce inequality. The measures have been integrated into the 2022–2...

21.12.2021 | In its negotiations on Tuesday 21 December, the Government discussed the COVID-19 situation and decided on new restrictions and other necessary measures. In addition to increasing vaccination coverage, effective national and regional measures to limit close contacts are needed to slow down the spread of the epidemic. This will allow more time for giving people third vaccine doses.

21.12.2021 | In its negotiations on Tuesday 21 December, the Government discussed the COVID-19 situation and decided on new restrictions and other necessary measures. In addition to increasing vaccination coverage, effective national and regional measures to limit close contacts are needed to slow down the spread of the epidemic. This will allow more time for giving people third vaccine doses.

2.5.2022 | Nepal is preparing for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs commissioned a study for an analysis of the changing relationship between Finland and Nepal, because the cooperation will expand and partnerships will diversify after the transition.

11.2.2022 | The new EU regional and structural policy programming period will further accelerate the development of urban innovation ecosystems and launch national innovation and skills network activity. On 10 February 2022, the Government allocated a total of approximately EUR 21.6 million of Innovation and Skills in Finland programme funding for the implementation of ecosystem agreements and approximately EUR 6.9 million for the launch of a national innovation and skills network in 2022.

2.2.2023 | The Government submitted the first supplementary budget proposal for 2023 to Parliament on Thursday 2 February.

13.9.2022 | The Rural Village Water Resources Management Project in the Far West regions of Nepal succeeded in improving the rights and livelihoods of women, girls and disadvantaged groups. Development cooperation addressed a number of gender equality issues.

1.12.2022 | Almost half of the respondents to an international country image survey indicated that their perception of Finland improved during the last year. Finland’s NATO membership process has greatly contributed to increasing Finland’s visibility abroad and to improving perceptions of Finland.

1.3.2021 | The Constitution safeguards the autonomy of universities and the Universities Act secures the general administrative framework in universities. The working group that carried out the assessment of administrative autonomy in Finnish universities deemed it unnecessary for legislation at the level of an act of Parliament to be more specific than it currently is. The working group considers that many...

11.10.2022 | People with disabilities across the world get a voice in the ‘Wanted’ photo campaign of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Family Federation of Finland. Girls and women with disabilities are often at a particularly high risk of discrimination.

25.9.2024 | The Ministry of Finance and European Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding according to which the Finnish contract notice materials will be entered into the Public Procurement Data Space of the European Union. The aim is to make it easier to utilise data concerning public procurements both nationally and, more widely, in the EU.