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Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

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.

10.12.2024 | The third National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was published today. The Action Plan sets out the measures to promote the implementation of the Convention in different administrative branches in 2024–2027. 

31.10.2024 | The European Union has adopted a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities. The EU has also adopted a Directive extending the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card to third-country nationals legally residing in EU Member States. The purpose of these Directives is to make it easier for persons with disabilities to travel within the EU.

15.7.2024 | The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) will meet in Brussels on 16 July 2024. The topics on the agenda include labour shortages and skills shortages in the EU, and promotion of the employment and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Minister of Employment Arto Satonen will represent Finland at the meeting in Brussels.

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.

21.12.2022 | Finland supports UN agencies in their work to promote stability and human rights. Authoritarian states, conflicts, the food and climate crises and the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing inequality and weakening security and wellbeing worldwide.

29.11.2024 | The EU’s Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will meet in Brussels on 2 December 2024. Minister of Employment Arto Satonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

12.4.2019 | -

2.7.2021 | In spring 2021, the European Commission published a Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the period 2021–2030. The Strategy aims to ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities in society. The key principles of the Strategy are equality and non-discrimination.

28.8.2023 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of about EUR 16.15 billion for the Ministry and its administrative branch for 2024. This is about EUR 0.4 billion more than in the 2023 Budget. The increase is mainly due to changes in the needs assessment.

22.9.2022 | Representatives of civil society organisations met at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in early September to exchange views with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto on Finland’s objectives and priorities in the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Consultation events under the lead of the Minister for Foreign Affairs prior to the UNHRC sessions is an integral part of Finland’s preparations for its membership in the Council.

8.12.2022 | The atmosphere in Tanzania has become more open with the current president. There is a lot of talk about problems with women’s rights, for example, and this makes it easier to promote these rights, according to Finland’s Ambassador to Tanzania Teresa Zitting.

26.11.2019 | Non-Violent Childhoods, the new action plan for the prevention of violence against children, contains 93 measures for preventing violence against 0–17-year old children and youth. It will be implemented during 2020–2025.

26.8.2021 | Finland suspended its development cooperation with Afghanistan after Taliban took control of the country. However, the results of development cooperation in the past 20 years will not be lost, says Senior Specialist Merja Mäkelä.

1.6.2021 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is continuing to prepare legislation on the self-determination of clients and patients. A roadmap extending beyond the term of the current Government will also be drawn up to strengthen client and patient participation and rights, and a broad-based monitoring group will be appointed to support this work.

9.12.2021 | The Government’s human rights policy report stresses action to strengthen equality and gender equality. Finland rejects attempts to undermine the universality of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

13.12.2019 | Finland allocates EUR 114 million to support for the development of the world's poorest countries Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 13.12.2019 15.07 Type: Press release Finland will contribute EUR 114 million to the replenishment of th...

9.6.2020 | Supporting women human rights defenders, preventing female genital mutilation, training business skills – civil society organisations promote the rights of women and girls in many ways Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 9.6.2020 13.55 T...

8.9.2021 | Finland will participate in an online Human Rights Pledging Event held by international human rights organisations on Wednesday 8 September. At the event, the countries standing for candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2022–2024 will reply to questions posed by the public, organisations and state representatives.