Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the National Assembly of Nicaragua on 31 May 2004

I would like to thank the National Assembly of Nicaragua for the great honour of receiving your medal. I gladly accept it as an indication of the long friendship between the Finnish and Nicaraguan parliaments.

Cooperation between our parliaments began in the 1980s with bilateral meetings in connection with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and representatives of your National Assembly visited Finland. In 1991 the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Finnish Parliament visited Nicaragua and a year ago, in spring 2003, a group of Nicaraguan deputies came to Finland to monitor our general election.

This March the Committee of Labour and Equality of the Finnish Parliament visited Nicaragua. During this visit interesting discussions took place regarding matters of interest to both parties in the field of working life. This is also an indication of how in our globalizing world many important issues only become clear when we can discuss them with representatives of distant countries in an atmosphere of trust that has been created by long-term friendship.

Finland's unicameral Parliament was established in 1906, when Finland was still a grand duchy of Russia. From the viewpoint of equality it is interesting that women in Finland - regardless of social class - were the first in the world to receive not only the right to vote but also the right to stand as candidates in elections. The Parliament that was elected in 1907 included 19 women.

When Finland was under Swedish rule, its representatives participated in the Swedish Diet beginning in the 14th century and were thus involved in creating the Nordic democratic model. Anders Chydenius, who lived in the 18th century, was a significant political reformer who called for stricter control of public finance and defended freedom of the press and the rights of servants.

So we can say that administrative transparency is not a new invention. Back in the 18th century the Finnish defender of free trade, Chydenius, realized that democracy cannot work unless citizens have information about things that affect them and decisions made by governments and officials. He emphasized that democracy, equality and respect for human rights were the only way to achieve progress and happiness for the whole of society. History has shown that he was right. The better information citizens have concerning the law, the limits of official power and their own obligations, the better their chances to participate.

In Finland we have tried to minimize the scope for the uncontrolled use of power through openness, and the results are encouraging when it comes to preventing serious violations of human rights. Partly as a consequence, Finnish administration is free from corruption, according to international evaluations. Of course there are other factors as well. Uncorrupt administration can protect human rights at all levels, with regard to income, equality in education, health care and legal security.

Transparency in public administration allows problems to be seen so that the proper authorities can intervene. If this does not happen, political decision-makers in a democracy must take measures if they intend to remain in office. The openness of documents, which is a basic requirement for transparency, has long allowed monitoring of the use of public power by individual citizens as well as the media.

The work of a legislator is more demanding nowadays and legislatures often face strong criticism. Societies are increasingly complex and understanding and governing them requires all sorts of information and skills. Criticism springs from citizens' dissatisfaction if their basic needs are not met. Citizens have the right to demand that public administration is open, reliable, service-minded and honest. In Finland monitoring this is the responsibility of Parliament. This naturally requires that members of Parliament themselves act according to these demands and serve voters rather than their own interests.

Representative democracy cannot be replaced by civil society and non-governmental organizations. Both are needed. Legislators must be examples to future generations. It depends on their work what kind of world young people in Finland and Nicaragua will live and work in. Today we are closer to each other than before. Globalization has opened the door to many benefits, promoted open societies and open economies and encouraged a freer exchange of goods, ideas and knowledge. As a result, a truly global conscience is beginning to emerge, sensitive to the inequities of poverty, gender discrimination, child labour and environmental degradation.

For the vast majority of men and women, globalization has not met their legitimate aspirations for decent jobs and a better future for their children, however. The advantages of globalization are too distant for too many, while its risks are all too real. Corruption is wide-spread. Open societies are threatened by global terrorism, and the future of open markets is increasingly in question. Global governance is in crisis. We are at a critical juncture, and we need to urgently rethink our current policies and institutions.

Making globalization fair and inclusive is difficult but possible. This an urgent and worldwide priority.

In closing I would like to express thanks through you, Mr President of the National Assembly, to the kind people of Nicaragua for your friendship and the warmth with which you have received me and our entire delegation in your beautiful country.