Kultaranta Talks 2020: After corona – What kind of Finland? In what kind of a world?

Office of the President of the Republic
Press release 14/2020
13 May 2020

The Kultaranta Talks, hosted by President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, will be broadcast live on Yle TV1 and Yle Areena on Sunday, 24 May 2020, starting at 18.15. The topic is the time after the coronavirus pandemic: How do we adapt to the changes that the post-coronavirus world will bring? What can we do to influence the direction of change?

The programme begins with an opening discussion, featuring President Niinistö, Archiatre Risto Pelkonen, and Adina Nivukoski, President of the Union of Upper Secondary School Students in Finland. This will be followed by a discussion on changes in the world order: After the coronavirus, will we see closer cooperation or intensifying competition? Participating in the discussion will be Hiski Haukkala, Professor of International Relations, Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Matti Kalliokoski, Head of the Helsingin Sanomat’s Editorial Team.

The second thematic discussion will consider how the global economy and the Finnish economy will cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and its mitigation. Will the structures and value chains of the economy and trade change? Will globalisation come to a halt? Will something better arise? The theme will be discussed by Risto Siilasmaa, Chairman of Nokia and F-Secure, Former Prime Minister Esko Aho, and Anu Partanen, Senior Advisor, Nordic West Office.

The third issue is the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our society. How will the experience change our relationships with each other and our common values? How do we create a better tomorrow? Participating in this discussion will be Karina Jutila, Director, e2 Research, Juha Itkonen, writer and Chair of the Central Arts Council, and Nelli Hankonen, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, University of Helsinki.

The Kultaranta Talks will end with a discussion between President Niinistö, Speaker of Parliament Matti Vanhanen and Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

The programme will be hosted by Yle’s Rosa Kettumäki and Antti Sahlström. The public may participate in the discussions by sending questions and comments to the address yle.fi/kultaranta or on WhatsApp to +358 44 421 4530. President Niinistö and the Kultaranta Talks participants will answer the questions during the live broadcast.