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Climate change as theme on the Day of the Girl

Government Communications Department
Publication date 11.10.2017 17.56 | Published in English on 12.10.2017 at 14.26
Press release 461/2017

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Katariina Räikkönen urge the European Union to strengthen its role in mitigating climate change. Räikkönen was adviser to the Prime Minister for one day on the Day of the Girl. Sipilä underlined the relevance of the position of girls in centennial Finland.

Sustainable development and climate change were among the main themes when the Prime Minister and 16-year-old Räikkönen considered ways to promote equality in Finland and around the world.

‘Climate change is about children’s rights. The countries affected by climate change are often those that are already poor to start with. Their ability to adjust to the effects of climate change is limited, which means that children are in a particularly vulnerable position,’ observed Sipilä and Räikkönen.

Both Sipilä and Räikkönen find climate change issues important. Räikkönen is a member of the Finnish Agenda 2030 Youth Group for sustainable development. The twosome called for concrete action to combat climate change.

‘Emissions, for example, must be reduced to the target level agreed in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,’ Sipilä and Räikkönen said.

The Prime Minister said that centennial Finland has become a leading edge nation in equality.

‘Participation in society for both women and girls is a core value for us in Finland. Helping to improve the position of women and girls is also one of the main priorities in Finnish development policy.’

Katariina Räikkönen served as an adviser to the Prime Minister as part of the international Girls’ Takeover, a campaign organised by Plan International. Besides joint discussions, the day included appearing in an interview on national breakfast TV and speeches at the Day of the Girl event. 

In her visit to Parliament, Räikkönen met Maria Lohela, Speaker of Parliament, and followed a Parliament plenary session. She also chaired a meeting attended by female Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister. The meeting discussed ways to promote the position of girls in Finland and around the world.

‘We wanted to use this campaign to show that the rights of girls are being violated in many places simply because they are girls. And it is not always easy for girls to get into decision-making positions,’ Räikkönen said.

Over 600 influential actors in society are participating in the Girls’ Takeover in 60 countries around the world. In Finland, Plan’s Girls’ Takeover is one of the 100 Acts for Gender Equality in celebration of Finland’s 100 years of independence.

Inquiries: Janika Tikkala, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 403 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office.

Photos of the day’s events