FINLAND S LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN ACTION PLAN. EU-CELAC STI SOM, Brussels Tiina Vihma-Purovaara

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1 FINLAND S LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN ACTION PLAN EU-CELAC STI SOM, Brussels Tiina Vihma-Purovaara

2 Action Plan concept In recent years, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has published a number of country-specific or region-specific action plans; Action Plans set goals in main sectors of cooperation: political affairs, economy, environment, innovation and research, development and cultural affairs. It is meant to set new lines, and encourage more cooperation in all key sectors.

3 Team Finland = Network promoting Finland and its interests abroad: Finland's external economic relations, the internationalisation of Finnish businesses, the country s brand, and inward investments. The network aims to bring all key authorities and organisations under one umbrella, improve the efficiency of their cooperation, and provide customers with an easy access to a wide range of services. At the heart of the Team Finland network are three Ministries the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Culture together with publicly funded bodies and Finnish offices abroad (including diplomatic missions, the offices of Finpro and Tekes, and national culture and science institutes), all operating under the ministries guidance. A total of 72 teams have been set up in different countries and they bring together all Finnish authorities, publicly funded organisations and other key parties with ties to Finland.

4 released by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs 2/2013 emphasises the growing importance of the region and seeks to further strengthen Finnish actors cooperation in Latin America, in the Team Finland spirit; aims to deepen, expand and modernise Finland s relations with Latin America and Caribbean countries as well as to intensify cooperation between Finnish actors.

5 The preparation process of this Action Plan brought together all stakeholders in the Finnish society with a Latin American agenda: Ministries, Government agencies, Economic and cultural sectors, Representatives of trade unions and a number of civil society organizations. It is a joint effort: Minister of Foreign Affairs in the launching event : in the future, all interested in developing Finnish relations and activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, will meet more regularly and work closer together in the region in a Team Finland spirit

6 Contents: 1 Latin America and the Caribbean today 2 Relations between the European Union and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean 3 Finland s relations with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean: Political relations Opportunities for trade and investments Research innovation education Development cooperation Cultural relations Public diplomacy 4 Finland s relationships with certain countries in the region 5 Closer cooperation among Finnish actors

7 Relations between the European Union and the Countries of LAC EU-LAC foundation (including research programmes) Finland s relations with the countries of LAC Objectives/general: embassies networking with.. academia with a view to identify cooperation opportunities

8 Research innovation education (p ) renewable energy, biofuels, climate change, environment and forests; HEI cooperation; research funding; implementation of EU-CELAC Madrid Action plan; exchange of students and researchers;

9 Objectives: promoting cooperation (national and EU); mobility; social development; Team Finland concept; knowledge of the region and languages; educational opportunities; producing material on education systems

10 Educational, scientific and cultural cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean Reports of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland 2012:26 (available only in Finnish) Mapping the existing activities in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture and including a proposal for the ministry s strategic objectives and measures for future development of the cooperation. The proposed measures focus on 1) improving communications and coordination in Finland, Latin America and the Caribbean, 2) strengthening knowledge of the languages and cultures in question in Finland 3) supporting sector-specific cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture Rapporteur: Professor Martti Pärssinen Coordinator for the report: Dr Eeva Sippola

11 Thank you! Finlads_Latin_American_and_Caribbean_Action_Plan.pdf