President Halonen to attend UN Conference in Istanbul

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press Release 6 May 2011

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen will participate in the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Istanbul on 9–11 May 2011. President Halonen will head the Finnish delegation and deliver Finland’s statement.

The UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries will focus on finding ways for steering these countries on the road to sustainable economic growth, development and eradication of poverty. The intention is to draft a new action plan geared towards reaching the objectives. All UN member states will participate in the Conference, including the 48 least developed countries, the majority of which are found in Africa.

While in Istanbul, President Halonen will take part in a special event on sustainable development. President Halonen co-chairs the UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, which will convene in Helsinki in the week after the Istanbul conference.