UN Secretary-General to attend Kultaranta Talks

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will attend the Kultaranta Talks hosted by President Sauli Niinistö on June 17–18, said a press release issued by the President office.

The foreign and security policy event will this year focus on the future of the international system. Guterres will deliver the event’s closing address on the concluding day.

Niinistö and Guterres will also have a bilateral meeting.

The event will begin on Sunday at 18:00 with an address Niinistö. The President’s opening remarks will be followed by a discussion on the topic of Power and strength or a shared order? which will explore the challenges currently facing the rules-based world.

Moderated by Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director of Crisis Management International (CMI), the panel consists of Miroslav Lajcak, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Carl Bildt, former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD. The closing remarks for this session will be delivered by Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Monday’s programme begins at 9:30. Titled The EU calling – can anyone hear us?, the discussion will seek to identify ways to deliver a stronger and more cohesive European Union. It is also an opportunity to consider Finland’s objectives in relation to the EU and how those objectives can best be achieved. The panel will comprise Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Jyrki Katainen, Vice President of the European Commission, Teija Tiilikainen, Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and Annamari Sipilä among others.

Commencing at 14:30, the Kultaranta Talks’ concluding session will tackle approaches to aligning environmental and economic sustainability. Joining the debate on The economy and the environment – towards a common welfare? will be Heidi Hautala, MEP, Jyri Häkämies, Director General of the Finnish Confederation of Industries, Oras Tynkkynen, Senior Advisor, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Mika Anttonen, Chairman of the Board, ST1 and Maija Itkonen, CEO, Gold&Green Foods. Moderating the discussion will be Tuuli Kaskinen, Executive Advisor at Demos Helsinki.

On Monday, the participants will be divided into three break-out groups tasked with considering the issues of equality, climate change and the direction of the UN from a Finnish perspective.

Around 100 guests have been invited to take part in the Kultaranta Talks event, now in its sixth year. The event is organised in collaboration with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.