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2.12.2023 | Statement by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the COP28 Climate Conference, 2 December 2023. Subject to changes.

27.10.2021 | The Parties to the UN Climate Change Agreement will meet in Glasgow, Great Britain on 31 October–12 November. This is the first meeting since the start of the term of the Paris Agreement in 2020. The key aim is to accelerate actions by countries towards stricter emission reductions.

2.12.2023 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo delivered Finland’s national address at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai on the second day of the summit of heads of state and government on Saturday 2 December.

13.7.2022 | At their informal meeting on 13–14 July in Prague, the EU ministers responsible for the environment will prepare for the UN’s meetings on biodiversity and climate change, discuss the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine and explore what kind expert assistance the EU can offer. State Secretary Terhi Lehtonen will represent Finland at the meeting. 

7.11.2022 | Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 7 November 2022. Check against delivery.

27.8.2025 | The Canadian province of Québec and Finland are deepening their collaboration in the forest sector. They have signed a declaration of intent to improve the conditions for commercial and research collaboration in forestry and bioeconomy.

30.11.2021 | How will climate change and the green transition affect working life and the labour market? What skills will employees need in the future? Finland has drawn attention to the future of work during its Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This topic was examined from the perspective of climate change at a conference held in Helsinki on 30 November 2021.

5.10.2021 | On 6 October, the EU environment and climate ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss the EU climate package (Fit for 55), the EU Forest Strategy and the negotiating objectives of the EU for the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen.

31.7.2025 | Closing Remarks by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, at the Helsinki+50 Conference, held at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki on 31 July 2025.

6.10.2025 | Opening Remarks by Minister Elina Valtonen at the annual Warsaw Human Dimension Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

11.10.2021 | The Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday 11 October. Finland will have an important role in the meeting, as Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko will chair the meeting jointly with Indonesia’s Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani.

26.6.2025 | Minister for European affairs and ownership steering Joakim Strand spoke at the EU Arctic Forum 26 June 2025, Kittilä, Finland. Check against delivery.

5.8.2025 | Representatives of UN Member States will negotiate on the Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland on 5–14 August. The negotiation situation is very challenging, and there is also an increasing political pressure to reach an agreement. The demanding foreign policy situation has also made the negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty more difficult.

4.7.2025 | In its meeting on Friday 4 July, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions on the Commission’s proposal to simplify regulation for businesses and received an update on the preparation of a plan for affordable housing in the EU.

13.6.2025 | In its meeting on Friday 13 June, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions on the Commission’s plans to phase out energy imports from Russia, the Commission’s communication on artificial intelligence and its proposal regarding the Asylum Procedure Regulation. The Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs also discussed the EU–Mercosur Association Agreement.

9.6.2022 | Sustainable development, contacts between people, transport and logistics will remain as other priorities.

21.5.2025 | English Style Guide A handbook for translators, revisers and authors of government texts Prime Minister’s Office, Finland ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE | PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, FINLAND | 2025 2 Contents Quick reference guide .................................

9.2.2022 | In autumn 2021 and at the start of 2022, Finnish ministers toured Finland to listen to people’s ideas and hopes for the future of Europe. The discussions highlighted a variety of concrete issues where citizens consider EU cooperation to bring added value and where they wanted to see action from the EU. The EU is widely seen as valuable both as a significant economic operator and as a community of values and security.

31.7.2025 | Opening Remarks by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, at the Helsinki+50 Conference, held at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki on 31 July 2025.

3.3.2022 | The Government approved the proposal for the new Climate Change Act on 3 March. The Act has been reformed to make sure that Finland’s carbon neutrality target for 2035 and other international and EU climate objectives will be reached. In addition to the carbon neutrality target, the Act sets emission reduction targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050. The Act lays down provisions on climate policy plans, and the reform will extend the scope of the Act to the land use sector.

21.5.2025 | English Style Guide A handbook for translators, revisers and authors of government texts Prime Minister’s Office, Finland ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE | PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, FINLAND | 2025 2 Contents Quick reference guide .................................

8.2.2023 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is launching the new Climate Honours diploma to recognise and thank those involved in climate work. Finland’s network of missions around the world will grant Climate Honours to individuals and small organisations that are leading the way in combating climate change.

27.8.2025 | "I’m glad to see strong momentum for Nordic cooperation. Our goal is a united and strong Nordic region that benefits us all."

2.9.2021 | The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture is organising the Nordic Nord Start Climate Change Competition in autumn 2021. The competition is part of the programme of Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. Organised in cooperation with the LUMA Centre Finland’s StarT programme, the competition aims to gather children, young people and adults, from early childhood education and care to higher education, to brainstorm concrete means for the fight against climate change.

11.6.2021 | The flagship event in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education during the Finnish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers took place on 8¬-9 June 2021. Entitled ‘We All Make a Difference!’, the conference looked at sustainable development from the angles of education, culture, and the youth.

19.9.2022 | “The fight for natural resources is a common trigger for conflict in many places. When I was in Uganda, I saw what an immense impact climate change and loss of biodiversity have on people’s lives,” says Anna Merrifield, Director of the recently created Unit for Climate and Environmental Diplomacy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

22.5.2023 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is a main partner of the World Village Festival taking place on 27–28 May in Suvilahti, Helsinki. This year’s festival theme is "Force for Change!".

11.10.2024 | The EU environment ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday 14 October. The topics include the negotiation objectives of the EU for both the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in October and UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in November. The ministers will also exchange views on the progress of the UN Plastics Treaty and on the EU Chemicals Strategy. Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen will represent Finland in Luxembourg.   

18.1.2021 | Panel discussion on climate change and biodiversity loss based on Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 18.1.2021 14.04 Type: News item Experts preparing for the 2021 UN summits will meet youth to discu...

30.3.2021 | On 31 March 2021, Finland will participate in the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit, which will discuss measures to speed up the transition to clean energy as well as means for States to cooperate more effectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 in order to achieve international climate goals. Finland’s representative at the virtual meeting will be Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.

8.11.2022 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is hosting three side events at the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Egypt on 10 and 12 November in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers. The events will present the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures and discuss research on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands. The discussions will be streamed live as a webcast.

19.2.2025 | The parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will convene in Rome, Italy on 25–27 February 2025. The COP16.2 session will continue the negotiations on items that remained open in Cali, Colombia in November. The aim is to reach an agreement on the monitoring, evaluation and financing of the global biodiversity targets. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

5.11.2024 | In their meeting on Tuesday 5 November, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the situation at the eastern border and in the sea area, held a preparatory discussion on the priorities of civilian and military intelligence for 2025 and discussed Finland’s objectives for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29).

2.10.2024 | Ministers responsible for forest affairs in Europe signed a declaration on the development of sustainable forest management and decided to set up a facility that will focus on anticipating and managing the risks to forests. The declaration was signed by 35 Member States and supported by more than 20 observer organisations. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah represented Finland at the Conference, held in Bonn, Germany on 1–2 October 2024.

17.2.2023 | EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 20 February. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.

18.3.2022 | The Government has agreed on measures by which Finland will halve its emissions in the effort sharing sector by 2030 and set the course towards carbon neutrality by 2035. The measures decided in the autumn will be strengthened to ensure that the necessary emission reductions of 5.7 Mt in total will be reached. This is how Finland can achieve the emissions reduction target proposed by the European Commission for 2030 in the effort sharing sector, i.e.

1.6.2022 | According to Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, we need to make fundamental changes to how we think, act and measure success. Dasgupta spoke on Wednesday at a conference organised by the Economic Council around the theme of ecologically sustainable economic policy in the 2020s. The discussions were based on the Dasgupta Review, which has attracted wide international attention and emphasises the economic significance of biodiversity.

25.8.2025 | "Finland is advancing the interests of Finland and Finnish businesses in a proactive and forward-looking way, also in the midst of ongoing changes."

25.11.2024 | Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah visits Canada with a delegation of the Finnish forestry and bioeconomy actors on 24–28 November. Minister Essayah will deliver the keynote speech at the Scaling Up Bioeconomy Conference 2024 in Ottawa. Finland is the Feature Country of this year’s conference. In addition, the Minister and the business delegation will visit the province of Quebec.

1.6.2022 | According to Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, we need to make fundamental changes to how we think, act and measure success. Dasgupta spoke on Wednesday at a conference organised by the Economic Council around the theme of ecologically sustainable economic policy in the 2020s. The discussions were based on the Dasgupta Review, which has attracted wide international attention and emphasises the economic significance of biodiversity.

28.1.2022 | Finland's international climate finance needs a transparent long-term operating model, as well as a plan for increasing and targeting the financing. This is the conclusion of the Development Policy Committee's (DPC) recent analysis report ”Finland's International Climate Finance Needs Clear Direction”. The recommendations presented in the report outline actions towards more responsible, just and effective climate finance.

2.11.2024 | UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 ended with a skinny agreement on Saturday morning after having gone into overtime. A benefit-sharing mechanism for digital information on genetic resources (the Cali Fund) was established and the role of indigenous peoples was strengthened, but no understanding was reached on monitoring the implementation of biodiversity targets or mobilising finances. As the meeting dragged on and some of the negotiators had to go home, there was no quorum to make decisions.

1.4.2022 | Finland will organise a high-level meeting on adaptation finance in Lahti on 3–4 April. The purposes of adaptation finance include preparing for extreme weather events, such as droughts or floods. The meeting seeks to find a common direction to fulfil the commitments made in the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and pave the way towards COP27 to be held in November 2022. The aim is also to expand the role of the private sector in the funding.

17.10.2024 | At Ukraine’s request, Finland will host a meeting dedicated to the eighth point of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, Environmental Security, on Saturday 19 October. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will deliver the opening address at the meeting, which will be chaired by Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Kai Mykkänen.

20.4.2022 | The member countries of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action discussed climate and economic policy at the ministerial meeting held on 19 April. Finland and Indonesia co-chair the Coalition.

12.2.2021 | Finland invests in climate diplomacy ahead of summits Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 12.2.2021 15.34 Type: News item The year 2021 will be a “super year” for climate change and biodiversity. Finland's own ambitious climate objective...

30.11.2023 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will open the Finland Pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai on 1 December. This is the first time that Finland will have its own national pavilion in connection with the conference. The programme at the pavilion will highlight Finnish climate solutions, such as clean energy innovations.

2.11.2021 | Finland has joined the Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, whereby more than one hundred countries commit to stopping deforestation by 2030. President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö will speak at the publication event of the Declaration on Forests in Glasgow on Tuesday.

30.11.2023 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will open the Finland Pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai on 1 December. This is the first time that Finland will have its own national pavilion in connection with the conference. The programme at the pavilion will highlight Finnish climate solutions, such as clean energy innovations.

5.12.2023 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will organise two side events and act as a partner in several other events at the UN Climate Conference COP28 in Dubai. The programme themes are sustainable food systems, climate change adaptation and low-carbon construction.

30.11.2023 | Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Dubai in the United Arab Emirates 2–4 December. Minister Tavio will attend events organised as part of the UN Climate Change Conference and meet ministers from other countries and representatives of businesses and international organisations.

21.8.2024 | For Forest+ is a group dedicated to advocating for the interests of the forested Member States within the EU. Ministers from the group’s member states – Austria, France, Slovenia and Sweden – and their representatives visited Finland on the invitation of the Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah between 20 and 21 August 2024. During their visit, the ministers discussed next st...

21.4.2021 | Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen will participate in the ministerial discussions to be held in connection with the US Climate Summit on Friday 23 April. The United States has invited 40 world leaders to a Leaders’ Climate Summit on 22–23 April.

1.12.2023 | Action Over Words – Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the opening of the COP28 Climate Conference Finland Pavilion, 1 December 2023. Subject to changes.

1.12.2023 | Action Over Words – Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the opening of the COP28 Climate Conference Finland Pavilion, 1 December 2023. Subject to changes.

18.10.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met in Helsinki on Friday 18 October. The prime ministers discussed Ukraine’s needs and Finland’s support, Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.

13.11.2023 | Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Sandra Bergqvist will participate in the ministerial session of the Youth Forum to be held in Paris on 14–15 November 2023. The Youth Forum will take place during the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO. The aim is to make young people's voices heard and to discuss solutions to improve their wellbeing in the context of climate change impacts.

10.11.2021 | Finland participates in six transport initiatives adopted at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. Countries make commitments to reduce emissions on the road, at sea and in the air. Most of these declarations were published on the Transport Day on 10 November 2021.

25.8.2025 | Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission in Helsinki on 25 August 2025. Speech to be checked against delivery.

13.5.2024 | Crisis Management NOW expo to discuss conflicts and peacebuilding in changed security situation Ministry of Defence Publication date 13.5.2024 10.56 Type: Press release The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland together with its partners will or...