MFA: Foreign Minister Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mykkänen to the 71st session of the UN General Assembly

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
http://formin.finland.fi/english

Press release 172/2016
16 September 2016

Foreign Minister Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mykkänen to the 71st session of the UN General Assembly

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will participate in the 71st regular session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 20–24 September 2016. The Finnish delegation will be led by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö. President Niinistö will deliver Finland's address during the general debate on Wednesday, 21 September. This year, the general debate will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The high-level regular session of the UN General Assembly will include several side events. Foreign Minister Soini will co-host a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation together with the Turkish Foreign Minister. The meeting will explore ways to strengthen the UN's response to conflict prevention and mediation. In addition, Minister Soini and the Foreign Ministers of Uruguay, Indonesia and Rwanda will co-host a ministerial peacekeeping dinner to seek ways to develop the UN's peacekeeping activities. During the high-level UN session week, Soini will also participate in the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting and the Nordic countries' foreign ministerial meeting.

Minister Mykkänen's programme will concentrate on the status of women and girls and on the role of the private sector in sustainable development. Together with the Tansanian Foreign Minister and UNICEF and UN Women, Mykkänen will co-host a side event on the role of innovations in the empowerment of women and girls.  In addition, he will lead the discussion on investing in prosperity at an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, which will address the role of the private sector in reaching the SDGs. Mykkänen will also speak at a high-level event, organised by Georgia, Estonia, Korea and UNDP, dealing with the role of efficient, reliable and open institutions in the implementation of SDGs.

The Ministers will also participate in a high-level meeting, hosted by the UN Secretary-General, addressing large movements of refugees and migrants. Finland's national address in the meeting will be held by President Niinistö. The Ministers and President Niinistö will attend a high-level Leaders' Summit on Refugees, hosted by United States President Barack Obama. 

Both Ministers will also have several bilateral meetings with representatives of the UN and other countries.

Further information about the Foreign Minister's programme: Lasse Keisalo, Director, Unit for UN and General Global Affairs, tel. +358 40 753 2730, Erik af Hällström, Counsellor, tel. +358 40 509 5107, Raili Lahnalampi, Chief of Cabinet, Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel.  +358 50 550 7546, Riikka Taivassalo, Special Adviser ot the Foreign Minister, tel.  +358 46 923 4581.

Further information about the programme of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development: Johanna Karanko, Director, Unit for UN Development Affairs, tel. +358 50 439 4758, Heli Mikkola, Desk Officer, Unit for UN Development Affairs, tel. +358 50 304 8156,  Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 352 0463, Pasi Rajala, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 400 464 393.

The Foreign Ministry's email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.