Niinistö focuses on SD budget, women rights

President Sauli Niinistö on Friday said Finland would continue to integrate sustainable development into the budget with the view to have the 2030 Agenda forming the basis for all government policies.

The President in a statement issued remotely at the SDG Moment convened by the UN secretary-general also underscored the need to ensure the rights of women and girls.

“Achieving the SDGs by 2030 is not possible without adequate financing nationally. Therefore, Finland will continue to integrate sustainable development into its state budget. Our aim is to have the 2030 Agenda forming the basis for all government policies,” said Niinistö, expressing determination to transform Finland into a socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable society in this decade.

He said globally, together with co-chair Chile, Finland is actively engaging the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, now with more than 50 members involved in the programme. ‘We are in the middle of a global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has also brought challenges to many of the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to the ones focused on health and poverty, I would like to stress the importance of gender equality,” said the president.

He said when the societies face turmoil, the rights of women and girls, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights, are often eroded.

“We need to be decisive in safeguarding these rights. In order to build a sustainable future, we need the full contribution of women and girls, too,” said Niinistö.

He also appreciated the responses made by the governments and institutions across the world with enormous financial stimulus packages to face the crisis and emphasized making sure that these funds are used cleverly.