Minister Lehtomäki insists Finland is not turning its back on Africa

Paula Lehtomäki

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Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) gave an assurance on Thursday that Finland is not turning a deaf ear to the crises in Africa this year, either, even though the year's funding for humanitarian aid has largely been used up in helping the countries suffering form the tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26th.
      According to Lehtomäki, Finland will be able to spend almost as much as last year on emergency aid for Africa, once some internal transfers within the development cooperation budget have been made.
      "This is how we will be able to provide help to Niger and other parts of Africa. So far we have sent our contribution to the Niger crisis through the UN World Food Programme (WFP)", noted Lehtomäki in her press release.
      Citing sources within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Helsingin Sanomat reported on Thursday that of the total of EUR 54 million earmarked for Finnish humanitarian aid this year, only just over EUR 6 million are left for this year, and that none of this would be going to Niger.
     
According to Lehtomäki, internal budgetary amendments are being made within the development cooperation budget, in order to release another EUR 6 to 7 million for humanitarian aid. Thus Finland could participate in alleviating crises in Africa directly.
      Lehtomäki also pointed out that Finland has donated EUR 6.4 million to the WFP's emergency aid programmes, and that the WFP has given food aid to about 2.65 million victims of the crisis in Niger.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  No Finnish humanitarian aid to Niger - funds spent on tsunami victims (18.8.2003)

Links:
  United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Helsingin Sanomat