By Frederick Philander WINDHOEK “The main goal and thrust of Finland’s development policy is to contribute to the eradication of extreme poverty from the world.” So said the ChargÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚© d’Affaires of the Finnish Embassy, Seija Kinni-Huttunen, yesterday at a one-day round-table conference in the capital. Some 30 representatives of 20 civil society organisations attended the gathering. She explained the Finnish-Namibian relations and the Finnish assistance to Namibia. “Activities that help to achieve this goal include prevention of environmental threats, promotion of equality, human rights, democracy and good governance as well as increasing worldwide security and economic interaction, which originally became part of Finland’s policy in development cooperation in the 1990’s,” Kinni-Huttunen said. According to her, the Finnish government is committed to a rights-based approach and to the principles of sustainable development in its development policy. “Finland bears its own share of the responsibility for creating the global partnership called for by the Millennium Declaration, in which developing countries are committed to the reduction of poverty and in which they themselves bear the main responsibility for developing their own societies, while industrialised countries are committed to supporting this process by means such as development aid, trade and private sector investment,” she asserted. She added: “Enormous discrepancies in wealth and well-being between the developed and the developing countries are not acceptable by any human standards and constitute a threat to the prosperity and security of all nations. Through its foreign and economic policies, Finland, together with other developed countries, is doing what it can to reduce and eliminate these discrepancies.” Her own country’s experience in developing its society during the last five decades from a poor country with small production capacity into one of the world’s most competitive welfare and information societies provides a firm foundation for involvement in international development policies. “Finns have learnt that security and stability, both inside the country and in the surrounding regions, are prerequisites for development. Respect for human rights, democracy and good governance create a social environment that enables well-balanced development,” she said. In her opinion equal participation of women and men in the functions of society is one of the ingredients of her country’s success, as is care for the environment. “Responsible economic growth led by the private sector in conjunction with an equitable distribution of income provides society and its members with resources for economic development. Sustained long-term investment in education, health, social services and the well-being of children and young people have borne fruit in Finland,” she said proudly. “Finland’s support for developing countries derives from our own experiences and implementing the Millennium Declaration in individual countries as guided by the poverty reduction strategies of the partner countries. “In my government’s opinion primarily it is the developing countries themselves that are accountable to their own citizens for their socio-economic development programmes aiming at economic growth and reduction of poverty. Private-sector driven economic growth and equality-promoting income distribution are fundamental to the reduction of poverty,” Kinni-Huttunen said. Finland particularly directs its support to strengthening democratic institutions and the civil societies in developing countries, to developing local government, and to helping to combat corruption. Development cooperation is an important part of Finnish foreign policy and external relations. To meet various objectives, Finland uses different multilateral and bilateral channels. “In 2004, it was decided that certain countries, namely, Egypt, Namibia and Peru are countries whose economic development gives Finland an opportunity to move from relations where the emphasis is on development cooperation to more diversified cooperation and interaction. The change will take place in 2004 to 2007 in a controlled and sustainable manner, with the help of the implementation of transition strategies,” she asserted. Putting transition strategies into practice calls for new ways of thinking. New means and methods used include promotion of trade, investment and private sector cooperation, development of public and private sector partnerships, institutional cooperation and various exchange programmes, including cultural exchange. “New methods for cooperation with the private sector are being developed and projects can be implemented in partnership with the private sector in order to enhance the development impact of trade and investment and to promote both Finnish development cooperation and business activity. The participation of Finnish companies must contribute to the development of the private sector in our partner countries while market distortions in the partner countries’ own private sector must be avoided. Activities financed by development cooperation funds must have a tangible impact on societal development,” Seija Kinni-Huttunen urged in conclusion.