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27.11.2024 | The Nordic ministers responsible for gender equality and LGBTI issues met in Stockholm today on 27 November 2024. The meeting discussed, among other things, how gender equality and human rights are weakening globally. Finland was represented at the meeting by Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

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.

7.3.2025 | The 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place in New York between 10 and 21 March 2025. Finland will be represented at the session by a broad-based delegation headed by Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

18.2.2025 | The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs will participate in the international Girls Takeover event run by Plan International, a children’s rights organisation. During the event, girls take over the roles of political, social and economic leaders. On 12 March, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will step aside for the day to let Natasha Al-Zeilaa, an upper secondary school student from Vantaa, assume her post.

10.2.2025 | During its membership of the UN Human Rights Council between 2022 and 2024, Finland defended universal human rights and the multilateral rules-based system. Finland’s key priorities were to ensure accountability and gender equality and to promote and defend the rights of women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons.

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.

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.

4.10.2024 | On Friday 4 October, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Finland’s Middle East policy, the situation in the Middle East and the security of Finns in the region.

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.

25.8.2023 | The Research Council of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland have granted funding for nine research projects within a call for applications that was launched under the Academy Programme for Development Research, DEVELOP2. The programme provides funding for multidisciplinary and problem-driven research that describes and interprets dimensions of development, helps understand obstacles to development and finds ways in which those obstacles can be removed.

23.2.2023 | The Government's cross-sectoral working group on gender equality has assessed the progress of the action plan and prepared a final report. The final report concludes that a large number of the measures in the gender equality action plan were achieved, despite the crises that shook the world. The Government discussed the progress of the Action Plan for Gender Equality in its evening session on 22 February.

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.

19.12.2024 | Mediation in domestic violence cases will be discontinued from the beginning of 2025. In future, domestic violence cases can be mediated only when they concern petty offences committed by minors against their parents or other custodians or their relatives.

8.3.2022 | Democracy is eroded every time a woman or girl faces harassment, hate speech or online violence. Thus, the strengthening of democracy requires also the strengthening of gender equality.

1.12.2021 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR 17.82 million to international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) for 2022–2024. Support was granted to 11 international human rights organisations operating in developing countries, whose work focuses on four themes: ending impunity; supporting human rights defenders; strengthening the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights and addressing discriminatory practices; and business and human rights.

31.1.2023 | An increasingly tense international situation, prolonged conflicts, catastrophes exacerbated by climate change and the questioning of the justification for human rights are further increasing the need for a human rights based development policy.

23.8.2021 | Distinguished Ambassadors, dear colleagues and friends, When I spoke on this forum a year ago, I truly hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic had abated by now and that life had already started to normalise. We are not there yet, and we are meeting remotely, again.

7.3.2023 | on March 7 2023 in Doha

11.11.2022 | Opening statement by Minister Pekka Haavisto at the Fourth Universal Periodic Review of Finland at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 November 2022.

27.8.2024 | Speech by Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission in Helsinki on 27 August 2024. Check against delivery.