Finland quits Ukraine equality alliance due to Minister's anti-LGBT view

Finland has decided to not join a gender-equality alliance for rebuilding of Ukraine, reported commercial broadcaster MTV on Friday.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio of Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party), the second largest component of the four-party alliance government, took Finland out of the alliance as it intends to promote the causes of gender and sexual minorities, said the MTV report referring several sources.

The "Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery" was launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on 12 June 2024 in Berlin.

Spearheaded by UN Women Ukraine in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Alliance aims to ensure that gender equality and women's empowerment are central to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts.

At the initial stage, it has brought together 15 governments, major IFIs, UN agencies, the EU, and numerous partners from civil society and the private sector.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Friday said that he was aware of Finland´s decision of withdrawal from Ukraine equality alliance taken by Tavio.

Talking to journalists at his official residence Kesäranta, he said that he did not make any decision in this regard as it was under jurisdiction of Tavio.

Leaders of the opposition parties in parliament strongly criticised the government decision of withdrawal from alliance.

The main opposition Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP) is also planning to submit a no-confidence motion in the parliament against Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio, according to a SDP parliamentary group leader Tytti Tuppurainen.

“Minister Tavio's decision was not in line with the government's policy. Because of this, SDP intends to submit a vote of no-confidence against Minister Tavio,” Tuppurainen wrote in a post on her social media platform X, inviting other groups to join the motion.

Terming decision of leaving the vital equality alliance related to reconstruction of Ukraine as unsuitable, Tuppurainen held the government responsible for its failure to stick to Finland's common foreign policy line of equality, girls and women and minorities.