Prime Minister Orpo to open Finland Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai

Government Communications Department
Publication date 30.11.2023 10.00 | Published in English on 30.11.2023 at 14.21
Press release
Kuvassa pääministeri Petteri Orpo.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will open the Finland Pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai on 1 December. This is the first time that Finland will have its own national pavilion in connection with the conference. The programme at the pavilion will highlight Finnish climate solutions, such as clean energy innovations.

The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP28, is taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 30 November until 12 December. In addition to the official negotiations, COP28 will bring together a large number of participants to discuss the impacts of climate change and the economic opportunities offered by the clean transition.

“Finland has set an ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2035. This goal cannot be achieved without cooperation between different sectors. And cooperation is one of the strengths of Finnish society. I am very proud that our pavilion is such a strong joint effort by the public sector, businesses committed to the green transition and third sector organisations,” says Prime Minister Orpo.

Minister of the Environment and Climate change Kai Mykkänen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will also attend the pavilion’s events during the UN Climate Change Conference.

“The EU must continue to be a global leader in climate policy. When the world’s largest single market sets goals, the world around it inevitably changes. This also gives our businesses opportunities to lead the way in the green transition market,” says Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Adlercreutz.

The Finland Pavilion will be hosted by Business Finland, which provides funding and services to companies to promote internationalisation, in cooperation with the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC), the Finland Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Finnish Industries. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra are part of the pavilion's steering group.

The programme at the Finland Pavilion will highlight perspectives on climate change mitigation and adaptation globally. Around 20 Finnish companies, including Nokia, Outokumpu, Neste and Stora Enso, will be involved in the programme, along with other parties, such as civil society organisations and representatives from various ministries.

All of the events at the Finland Pavilion will be streamed live on the pavilion's website.

Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to Prime Minister Orpo, tel. +358 295 160 978 (in Dubai 1–2 December), Päivi Paasikoski, Director of Government Communications (requests for interviews with Prime Minister Orpo), tel. +358 40 547 6279 (in Dubai 1–2 December), Crista Grönroos, Special Adviser to Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz, tel. +358 50 441 4257 (in Dubai 2–4 December).