PM assures to treat everybody equally irrespective of origin

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Monday said that everybody in Finland will be treated fairly and have equal opportunities irrespective of family background and racial identity.

“Every child and every adult in Finland should be able to trust that they will be treated fairly and have equal opportunities to study, pursue their hobbies, be successful and get involved in politics regardless of where their family comes from or what they look like,” Orpo said at a roundtable discussion.

The Premier and representatives of key immigrant organisations, human rights organisations, municipalities, businesses and labour market organisations met to discuss measures to ensure equality in a diversifying Finland, said a government press release.

The main theme of the event was working life, and discussions focused strongly on the future.

The topic of equality was approached from the perspectives of access to work, everyday life in the workplace and work-life balance. Discussions also explored the realisation of equality and diversity in relation to developments in society more broadly.

“All of us adults are responsible for making this a reality. And, of course, the Government has a particular responsibility. It is also about Finland’s success: our skills and strengths lie in the fact that everyone in Finland is able to use their potential to benefit our country. This must also be the case in the future,” the Prime Minister added.

The share of people with foreign backgrounds in the total population of Finland has grown significantly over the course of the 2000s.

According to some forecasts, the number of people with foreign backgrounds in Finland will reach one million by 2040. At the same time, studies show that people belonging to ethnic minorities experience discrimination in education and working life.

Three workshops were held to explore solutions in preparation for the roundtable discussion. These were attended by around 60 experts working with ethnic minorities and working life issues, including representatives from labour market organisations, municipalities, immigrant organisations and communities.

Based on the discussion led by the Prime Minister a number of measures to promote equality and wellbeing in working life will be taken up for further work and examination.