President Halonen in New York

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussing before the Interactive Dialogue between the General Assembly and the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability on 20 October 2011. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen presented the work of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, 20 October. She also took part in the centennial celebrations of the American-Scandinavian Foundation together with other Nordic heads of state.

Convened to hear the report of the Global Sustainability Panel, the session of the UN General Assembly received a dramatic opening: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began his address by commenting on the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the former head of state of Libya. “This day marks an historic transition for Libya,” Secretary-General Ban said. Encouraging the parties to lay down their arms, the Secretary-General said that Libyans can only realise the promise of the future through national unity and reconciliation.

After delivering a topical statement on Libya, Secretary-General Ban went on to talk about the work of the Global Sustainability Panel, for which he voiced his support.

Sustainable development – a modern trinity

Addressing the General Assembly after the Secretary-General, President Halonen emphasised that the goals of sustainable development are not in contradiction with economic and environmental well-being, but that the opposite is in fact true: “Sustainable development could be described as a modern trinity, in which the economic, social and environmental dimensions support one another. All dimensions are equally important.”

According to the Panel, people must be put at the centre of the efforts geared towards sustainable development. It is therefore particularly important to empower people. To that end, the Panel is trying to find practical recommendations for improving gender equality, enhancing access to education and promoting the full participation of all citizens. It is particularly important to include women in order to harness all human resources.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

President Halonen stressed that the work of the Panel is not yet complete and that its recommendations may change. The Panel’s report is due to be submitted to the UN Secretary-General at the end of the year. President Halonen co-chairs the Panel together with the President of the Republic of South-Africa Jacob Zuma.

A video recording of the event is available on the UN website.

Launch of Helsinki’s year as World Design Capital

On Wednesday, 19 October President Halonen visited the Guggenheim Museum, where Ari Wiseman, Deputy Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, presented the project to establish a museum in Helsinki together with Hannah Byers, the programme director of the Helsinki project. President Halonen invited Deputy Director Wiseman to Mäntyniemi to admire the architecture of the residence.

On Friday, 21 October President Halonen participated in the centennial celebrations of the American-Scandinavian Foundation. The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) promotes cultural and educational exchange between the Nordic countries and the United States. The heads of state of Sweden, Norway and Iceland, as well as the Crown Prince of Denmark, also participated in the Foundation’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The main gala was attended by around 800 guests. The festivities also included the opening of an anniversary exhibition on Nordic art. The heads of state also visited and laid flowers at Ground Zero.

On Friday President Halonen also visited the NASDAQ Stock Market, where she rang the closing bell. Televised live on international news channels, the ringing of the bell also marked the beginning of Helsinki’s year as World Design Capital. The event was organised in cooperation with the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project.

• Remarks at the NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony in New York on 21 October 2011
• Webcast: High-level Panel on Global Sustainability presenting their work to the UN General Assembly
• World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

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