Presidents of Finland and Liberia co-host UN event

Office of the President of the Republic Press Release 23 September 2009

Finland and Liberia are arranging a joint event in New York as part of the UN General Assembly's opening week on women, security and mitigating climate change. The event will be co-chaired by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia on Thursday, 24 September 2009. It will follow up an international colloquium on women's leadership that was hosted by Finland and Liberia in Monrovia last March.

The event will focus on women's role in relation to two major challenges: conflicts and climate change. The UN is strongly involved in addressing both these issues. Next year UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security will have been in force for ten years, and in December of this year political leaders will strive to reach a consensus at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The event arranged by Finland and Liberia will combine these two themes and take up where the Monrovia meeting left off.

In addition to the Presidents of Finland and Liberia, speakers at the event will include Professor Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement; Melanne Verveer, US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; and Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland and founder of Realizing Rights.

President Halonen will head Finland's UN delegation in New York and will deliver Finland's statement as part of the general debate on Thursday, 24 September at around 7 pm local time. During the day she will attend a session of the Security Council chaired by President Obama and a luncheon hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In addition to the general debate in connection with the opening of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly, the programme on Wednesday includes a reception hosted by President Obama.

Earlier this week President Halonen held bilateral talks with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and participated in a high-level meeting on climate change, where she co-chaired a roundtable.

President Halonen and Dr Arajärvi will return to Finland on 26 September.