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21.3.2025 | Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a high-level forum in Oslo on 24–25 March. The forum is organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The event will discuss accelerating financing to reduce disaster risks and to improve global preparedness for risks.

8.9.2023 | Recent news has shown that countries in Europe also need to be increasingly prepared for serious, protracted and large-scale crises. Even in the EU, Member States have the primary responsibility for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters.

29.6.2026 | Venezuela was hit by two devastating earthquakes on 24 June. Finland is assisting Venezuela by providing emergency shelter assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

26.4.2026 | On 26 April 2026, Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala visited Ukraine to attend memorials commemorating the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident 40 years ago and to participate in a high-level meeting on improving the plant safety. She also took part in a G7+ meeting in Kyiv to discuss support for Ukraine for the winter of 2026–2027 amid Russia’s continuing attacks on energy and civilian targets.

19.5.2026 | Opening speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the LDC Future Forum in Helsinki on 19 May 2026.

11.2.2026 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 245,000 customers in 2025. In addition, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 6,700 times over the course of the year.

13.11.2025 | On 16 July, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a reform of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The reform is one of the key measures to implement the EU Preparedness Union Strategy. The Government informed Parliament of the proposal by submitting a Union communication on 13 November.

20.11.2025 | The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Healthcare Professionals that will make it possible to receive international assistance for healthcare in different kinds of crisis situations. The aim is to facilitate and speed up the operations of humanitarian assistance providers in Finland when assistance is needed fast.

7.10.2025 | Finland will host the annual seminar of NATO’s Food and Agriculture Planning Group (FAPG) in Helsinki on 7–8 October 2025. The seminar is primarily aimed at the Finnish members of the FAPG, and its focus is on hybrid threats and critical infrastructure protection.

18.8.2025 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland has sent a module for ground forest firefighting to Spain to help manage wildfires raging across the country. The module will be deployed in Spain for about a week.

2.10.2025 | The tense security situation underscores the importance of preparedness, both in the Baltic Sea region and in the Euro-Arctic area. Meeting new threats requires joint exercises and well-functioning processes, as underlined at the Rescue Borealis 2025 international field exercise held in Oulu.

26.5.2025 | On his visit to Finland on Tuesday 27 May, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher will meet with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

4.4.2025 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie will attend an informal meeting of EU ministers of culture in Warsaw on 7 and 8 April. The meeting will continue the discussion on the protection of cultural heritage, especially from the perspective of the situation in Ukraine.

16.4.2025 | The official development assistance (ODA) declined in 2024 both in Finland and globally. Ukraine, which is heavily affected by Russia’s war of aggression, is the largest recipient of Finland’s ODA for the third consecutive year.

26.2.2025 | Opening Remarks by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, Reinforced Permanent Council of the OSCE, 24 February 2025.

The amended programme document Interreg AURORA 2021-2027 VERSION 3.0 After reallocation of Interreg NEXT Kolarctic and Interreg NEXT Karelia 1 CCI 2021TC16RFCB027 Title (Interreg VI-A) Sweden-Finland-Norway (AURORA) Version 3.0 First year 2021 Las...

24.7.2024 | Finland will participate in a rescue service deployment by sending 48 experts in international civil protection to Portugal. These experts will be tasked with helping local authorities manage wildfires. The first of two groups will leave for Portugal at the beginning of August.

1.3.2024 | Czechia has requested assistance in preparing for wildfires through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Finland responds to the request by sending a risk management expert to join the EU’s international team in the country. 

5.3.2024 | Ukraine has requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in preparing for threats related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. Finland responds to the request by sending an expert to join the EU’s international team.

3.6.2024 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen met Austria's Federal Minister for the Interior in Vienna on Monday. The ministers discussed cooperation between the two countries in migration policy, ways to manage migration, and partnerships with third countries. Minister Rantanen will travel from Vienna to Brussels, where she will participate in the European Civil Protection Forum's high-level panel discussion on EU preparedness.

23.2.2024 | The world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment, the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA, will convene at its sixth session in Nairobi, Kenya on 26 February–1 March. UNEA-6 will bring UN Member States and representatives of civil society groups, the scientific community and the private sector together to seek solutions to acute environmental challenges. Finland’s UNEA delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen.

21.9.2023 | The floods in Libya and the earthquake in Morocco have killed thousands of people. How is Finland supporting the relief efforts? How will Finland’s assistance reach its destination and why is Finland’s support important? Niklas Saxen, Senior Adviser for Humanitarian Assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Teemu Sepponen, Finland’s Ambassador in Tunis, and Marjaana Sall, Finland’s Ambassador to Morocco, answer these questions.

11.4.2024 | The support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion was clearly reflected in the 2023 official development assistance spending (ODA) of Finland and many other EU Member States, according to data released by the OECD today. Ukraine was the largest recipient of Finland’s ODA for the second consecutive year.

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.

11.12.2023 | The 75th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated on 11–12 December in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Refugee Forum will be held in Geneva on 13–15 December. State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at both events.

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.

14.9.2023 | Libya has requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism following the destruction caused by Storm Daniel on 12 September. Libya has requested a wide range of assistance, including shelters, medical supplies and expert assistance.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

6.9.2022 | Finland has sent an expert in international civil protection to Pakistan to assist in coordinating humanitarian aid related to monsoon floods. The expert left Finland on Tuesday 6 September.

31.10.2022 | Finland has sent two international civil protection experts to Havana, Cuba, to support the training of local urban search and rescue personnel. Having identified a lack of expertise among Havana’s local authorities in conducting rescue from collapsed structures, Cuba requested international assistance to train urban search and rescue workers. The experts left Finland on Monday 31 October.

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.

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.

5.9.2022 | Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will attend a coordination meeting convened by the European Commission and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU on Monday 5 September. The meeting will discuss preparedness for wildfires caused by the climate crisis. The meeting will be attended by ministers responsible for the internal security in the EU Member States and senior officials.

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.

26.3.2021 | More than 200 million people across the globe need humanitarian assistance due to conflicts, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. The provision of humanitarian assistance is one of the most concrete ways of responding to crises and disasters. Finland grants a total of EUR 69.6 million to humanitarian work carried out by the UN organizations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and Finnish civil society organisations.

29.7.2022 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland is sending 50 rescue workers to Greece to help manage wildfires. The Emergency Services Academy is the employer of the posted experts.

9.11.2022 | Recent crises underline the importance of development cooperation as a key instrument of foreign and security policy, according to Finland’s Development Policy Results Report submitted to Parliament on 9 November.

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.

19.8.2021 | Finland will provide EUR 3 million through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR to help Afghan refugees. On the World Humanitarian Day celebrated today, the crises in Afghanistan and Haiti remind us of the global humanitarian distress.

14.4.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has decided to send two experts to Poland and Slovakia to assist in coordinating the humanitarian assistance needed by people fleeing Ukraine. The experts left Finland on Wednesday evening. The Emergency Services Academy Finland is the employer of the posted experts.

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.

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.

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.

4.3.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has decided to send three experts to Moldova to assist in coordinating the humanitarian assistance needed by people fleeing Ukraine. The experts left Finland on Friday morning.

7.3.2023 | on March 7 2023 in Doha

8.2.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has decided to send two experts to Madagascar, where tropical cyclone Batsirai has caused extensive damage due to heavy rains, strong wind and floods. Pelastusopisto – Emergency Services Academy Finland is the employer of the posted experts.

26.11.2021 | Finland has received EU funding to build a rescue team for fighting forest fires. The European Commission granted co-financing for a joint project of the rescue departments of South Karelia, North Karelia, South Savo, North Savo and Kymenlaakso for the procurement of special equipment required for a rescue team fighting forest fires.

19.8.2022 | The number of people in need of assistance has more than doubled in a few years. Finland has responded to this need both financially and by improving the methods of delivering assistance.

2.2.2022 | EU home affairs ministers will gather in Lille, France, on 3 February for an Informal Meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers. The ministers will discuss the security of Europe’s borders and the reform of the EU’s migration and asylum policy. Another topic on the agenda will be the impact of climate change on civil protection. No decisions will be made at the informal meeting.

22.4.2022 | International actors are focusing on life-saving measures in preparation for a conference on drought in the Horn of Africa arranged for 26 April. Half of the population of Somalia needs humanitarian support due to a drought affecting the entire country coupled with ongoing conflict.