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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.

3.12.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has published the Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan for 2026–2033 aimed at preventing all forms of violence against children. The plan, which will be implemented at the government level, is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Lanzarote Convention and national statutes that require all forms of violence against children to be combated.

6.10.2023 | How to turn pain into power? Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Fida co-organised a webinar where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege talked about his work helping survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

6.6.2025 | ​​​​​​​The Baltic Pride Conference, taking place in Vilnius on 6 June, will discuss the inclusion and rights of LGBTI people. The event will be opened by State Secretary Laura Rissanen as part of Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

22.7.2025 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo presented Finland’s third Voluntary National Review at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York on Tuesday 22 July. Speech to be checked against delivery.

12.6.2023 | Finland is supporting UN sustainable development goals by channelling aid to demonstrably effective UN agencies. This support for UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and UNDP promotes Finland’s foreign policy goals and values, such as enhancing the rights and equality of women and girls, and people with disabilities.

4.10.2024 | Finland is one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in Europe. Finland has sent wide-ranging support to Ukraine; defence material; civilian material; humanitarian aid; and development cooperation. In a short period, Ukraine has become Finland’s most significant partner in development cooperation. Finland also supports Ukraine as part of the European Union.

6.2.2025 | The Government adopted a resolution on the Government Action Plan for Gender Equality 2024–2027 at its session on 6 february 2025. The Action Plan contains 50 measures, and it has a strong emphasis on the prevention of violence against women. The Action Plan is based on the Programme of Prime Minister Orpo’s Government.

2.12.2025 | Finland has ranked 8th in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The Index measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power. The data for the most recent Index is mainly from 2023 and 2024.

27.5.2021 | Last year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) brought sexual and reproductive health services available to 41 million women and youth. In 2021, Finland’s support to UNFPA will be EUR 33 million.

8.3.2024 | The 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place in New York between 11 and 22 March 2024. Finland will be represented at the session by a broad-based delegation headed by Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.

24.6.2024 | Throughout the month of June, we are celebrating International Pride Month. The theme of Helsinki Pride this year is ‘Peace and Hope’. We all have the right to peace. We all have the right to hope. They have been selected as this year’s theme for a good reason.

26.4.2019 | Sport has been confronted with many cases of sexual violence against women and children in recent years. Public authorities, sports movement and stakeholder organisations are determined to tackle sexual violence against women and children in sport and to strengthen its prevention with the Expert Conference on “Sexual Violence against Women and Children in Sports”, organised in the framework of the Finnish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.

10.11.2020 | The overall level of education in Finland needs to be raised. In the context of higher education, the aim is to raise the percentage of higher education graduates from the current 41% to 50% of all 25 to 34-year-olds by 2030. Does Finnish higher education offer equality and non-discrimination to everyone and do higher education institutions respond adequately to the needs of different students?

18.1.2019 | At the meeting, the Government heard a situation report by National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen on sexual crime targeting minors and the incidents in Oulu and Helsinki. The problem is very extensive, and especially the numbers of children and young people contacted via the internet are growing. This is why internet policing must be a high priority for the Finnish police.

11.12.2023 | Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the International Gender Equality Prize Ceremony on 11 December 2023. Speech to be checked against delivery.

2.12.2021 | Commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the project examines how equality, non-discrimination and diversity among staff members can be promoted in Finnish higher education institutions. Based on the study, concrete proposals for measures will be developed for higher education institutions and for national policy approaches.

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.

2.6.2023 | On 2 June, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child issued recommendations to Finland based on Finland's combined fifth and sixth periodic reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto.

27.6.2023 | The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its second regular session of this year from 19 June to 14 July. Before each session, as part of Finland’s contribution to the work of the Human Rights Council, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs asks civil society organisations for their views on Finland's priorities and objectives. Many civil society representatives again gathered at Merikasarmi, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.