MFA: Ahtisaari Days – peace is everyone's business

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

Press release 211/2016
8 November 2016

Ahtisaari Days – peace is everyone's business

The main events of the national Ahtisaari Days will be held on 10 November 2016 in Tampere. The celebration of this annual mediation event is being  organised for the sixth time.

The purpose of the Ahtisaari Days is to raise awareness of mediation at all levels of society and to contribute to the integration of peace work and mediation into people's daily lives. This takes place by discussing the theme in schools, at public events and among experts. These topics are central to the work of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Finland has significant expertise to offer in this field.

The main events in Tampere will take place on 10 November, which is Martti's name day. The University of Tampere will organise an open public event under the theme How to bring peace to all? Journalist Pasi Toivonen will interview President Martti Ahtisaari, after which there will be a panel discussion on different groups' position in peace processes. The panelists will be Researcher Hussein Al-Taee from the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), Professor Tarja Väyrynen from the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), and Matti Pihlajamaa, MA student in international politics. The discussion will be moderated by Katja Kannonlahti, ‎Director of Communications at the University of Tampere, and Researcher Saara Särmä will comment on the debate.  

The Ahtisaari Days' key target group is schools. Each school may decide in what way and to what extent it will take part in the event. Ideas and materials relating to the Ahtisaari Days can be found at  http://ahtisaaripaiva.fi/osallistu/opetusmateriaalit/ (in Finnish).

President Ahtisaari and CMI Ambassadors will visit schools in Tampere on 10 November. The government ministers working at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will take part in the Ahtisaari Days in the Greater Helsinki area. Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini visited a school for grades 7–9 in Kruununhaka on 7 November and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will visit the Olari upper secondary school on 9 November 2016.

Mediation today involves much more than bringing the parties to a conflict together in official negotiations. The school visits organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs emphasise Finland's key priority in mediation – inclusiveness, which means that all stakeholders in society have the opportunity to participate in peace processes and peace building. This creates the foundation for a sustainable peace.

The previous Ahtisaari Days have been organised in Oulu, Helsinki, Kuopio, Turku and Rovaniemi. The city hosting the 2017 Ahtisaari Days will be announced in Tampere. The main organiser of the Ahtisaari Days is CMI.

Inquiries: Mari Lankinen, Content and Communications Specialist, tel. +358 295 350 642.

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

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