Friday, 2 December, 15:20
Room: Plenary
| Keynote speeches by: | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland Pekka Haavisto was born in Helsinki on 23 March 1958. He was a Member of Parliament in 1983–1995 and returned to Parliament in 2007. Haavisto has been serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2019. In 1995–1999, he served as Minister of Development and the Environment and in 2013–2014 as Minister for International Development. In 1993–1995 and in 2018–2019, he was Party Leader of the Greens in Finland. He stood as a candidate in the presidential elections in Finland in 2012 and in 2018. Before becoming Finland’s Foregin Affairs Minister, Haavisto gained wide experience in various areas of foreign policy, for example, while chairing the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Task Forces on environmental impacts of war in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, occupied Palestinian territory and Sudan. He has also worked as the EU Special Representative for Sudan and Darfur, Special Advisor for the UN (ASG) in the Darfur peace process, and Special Representative to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in African crises. In addition, he has served in several positions of trust. At the moment he is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and has been the President of the Board of the European Institute of Peace (EIP) in 2016–2019, Chair of the Board of the Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses in 2014–2019, and Chair of WWF Finland’s Board of Trustees. Haavisto has worked as Editor-in-Chief of several publications and has authored many books, the most recent one, Eurooppa raiteilla (Europe on rails), in 2018. Pekka Haavisto lives in a registered partnership. His main interests are books, cycling, wooden boats and cultural backyards. | |
 | Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister, Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir is the current Prime Minister of Iceland, elected November 2017. She is Iceland's second female head of government. She also serves as the Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. She became deputy Chairperson of the Left-Green Movement in 2003 and has been the Chairwoman of the party since 2013. Jakobsdóttir has been a Member of Parliament since 2007, serving as the Minister of Education, Science and Culture from 2009 to 2013, as well as the Minister for Nordic Cooperation from 2009 to 2013. | |
 | Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Second Vicepresident and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Spain Ms. Yolanda Díaz Pérez was born in Fene, Spain, in 1971. Second Vicepresident of Spain since July 2021 and Minister of Labour and Social Economy since January 2020. She completed a Degree in Law and post-graduate studies in labour relations, urban planning law and human resources. She also received training in Social Protection, labour contracts, administration and gender. After creating her own Law Firm in Ferrol, (A Coruña), she was elected successively as member of Ferrol City Council (2007), the Regional Parliament of Galicia (2012), and the Congress of Deputies (Spain’s’ National Parliament, 2016). In January 2020, Ms Díaz was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Economy; in March 2021 she took office as Third Vicepresident; and in July 2021 as Second Vicepresident of Spain. | |
