Source

Kimmo Kiljunen, the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative to regional peace-mediation tasks, visited Myanmar and Thailand just before Easter. The purpose of the visit was to prepare an international coordination meeting on peace mediation that would support the peace negotiations between the Government of Myanmar and ethnic groups.

By decision of Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted humanitarian aid appropriations totalling 67.6 million euros to people suffering from the world’s crises. Finland directs humanitarian assistance to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

By a decision made by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will target EUR 400,000 of emergency aid to those suffering from the consequences of the heavy rains in Central America.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
28.10.2011 15.14

By a decision made by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will target EUR 500,000 of emergency aid to those suffering from the consequences of the earthquake in Turkey.

As a result of the earthquake that hit the province of Van on 23 October more than 2,200 buildings were destroyed and tens of thousands of people were left homeless. As the weather is getting colder, Turkey is in dire need of tents suited for winter use.

Under a decision issued by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has pledged to deliver humanitarian aid worth 5 million euros to the victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa region. Three million of this will be channelled via the United Nations World Food Programme, 1.1 million via the Finnish Red Cross and 900,000 euros through Finn Church Aid.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has granted EUR 1.5 million in humanitarian assistance to people suffering from the crisis in Libya. The aid is channelled through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Each organisation is granted 500,000 euros.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has decided to grant 150,000 euros to the Finnish Red Cross for humanitarian relief efforts owing to the crisis in Libya. The International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC, is providing aid to victims of the crisis by sending assessment delegates, surgical groups and medical supplies to the region.

The Finnish Red Cross has today sent three workers to Tunisia, and if needed, additional personnel will be available later.

The Finns, together with the ICRC aid

Finland will finance a school building project by UNDP through which ten new schools will be erected in place of those destroyed in the earthquake. Five large school centres will be built in Léogâne in south-western Haiti and five smaller ones in the adjacent mountain area. This region was the epicentre of the earthquake that hit the Caribbean country in January.

UNDP's school project will be executed

With the additional support now granted, Finland's aid for the flood victims in Pakistan rises to a total of 4.4 million euros.

The abnormally heavy rains of July and August have brought about a severe humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. The