President Halonen to attend Berlin globalization conference

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland Press Release 20 November 2006

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen is to attend the conference on the social dimension of globalization to be held by the German Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Berlin on November 22-23, 2006.

President Halonen will be one of the speakers at the conference and take part in the panel discussion. Also among those attending the conference will be German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities Vladimir Spidla and French Minister of Employment Jean-Louis Borloo. The conference will be hosted by German Vice-Chancellor, and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Franz Müntefering.

President Halonen was, with the Tanzanian President, Co-chair of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization 2002-2004. In its final report the Commission presented a number of recommendations the speedier implementation of which Germany now wishes to promote by means of the Berlin globalization conference. Germany has also decided to place the World Commission’s recommendations on the agenda for its EU and G8 Presidencies in 2007.

World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation