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News, 5/31/2011

President Halonen to co-chair UNCTAD Panel of Eminent Persons

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press Release 31 May 2011

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen has been invited to co-chair the Panel of Eminent Persons tasked with assessing the role and impact of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in global economic management. The Panel will hold its first meeting in Geneva on 1 June 2011.

The Panel is tasked with examining how the post-financial-crisis economic order could better reflect the interests of developing countries and how their inclusion could be improved. The Panel is to submit its final report to UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi early next year before the next session of the Conference in Doha in April 2012. The other co-chair is Professor Jagdish Bhagwati from the University of Columbia.

President Halonen was one of the members of the Panel of Eminent Persons established by the UNCTAD Secretary-General in 2005 to find ways for reforming UNCTAD. The recommendations of the Panel included that the organisation should strengthen its role as a global think tank for development issues, while promoting international networking in the field and improving transparency towards civil society.

While in Geneva, President Halonen will also speak at the opening of the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference. From Geneva President Halonen will travel to Rome at the invitation of President Napolitano to participate in the 150th anniversary of Italian unification on 2 June.

President Halonen will return to Finland on Friday June 3. On Friday afternoon she will attend the reception of the Flag Day of the Defense Forces.

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Updated 5/31/2011

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