Finnish Ambassador to the Philippines, Saija Nurminen, was recently featured on ANC Headstart’s SHE SHARES segment, part of a series highlighting women in diplomacy and international relations.
In the interview with anchor Karen Davila, conducted on Wednesday 3 April 2025, Ambassador Nurminen spoke about her journey as a female diplomat and a mother, what motivated her to pursue a diplomatic career, and how she sees gender stereotypes evolving in global diplomacy. She also named her personal role model and offered thoughts on Finland’s continued success as the happiest country in the world—an achievement it has held for eight consecutive years.
According to the Facebook page of the embassy, Finland’s approach to gender equality has played a significant role in both domestic well-being and its global reputation. She highlighted that 40 years ago, only three of Finland’s ambassadors were women. Today, women lead half of all Finnish embassies worldwide.
“Gender equality and empowerment is everyone’s responsibility,” said Ambassador Nurminen.
The full interview is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfbRBbo5GSU
Related posts:
Philippines’ president Marcos strengthens ties with Finland during meeting with Finnish ambassador Nurminen
Finland and Philippines explore new paths for overseas workers
Nordic Embassies and Pasig City sign MOU to support circular economy transition
Finland looks to Filipino workers to address labor shortages
