As the Diplomatic Mission of Finland Yangon is being turned into an embassy, Finland‘s first Ambassador to Myanmar, Riikka Laatu, is due to arrive in country in early September!
“After four years of significant changes in development policy, interesting years as Finland’s first Ambassador to Myanmar are awaiting Riikka Laatu. She is excited about her transfer to Yangon,” writes Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland in a story.
At the start of September Riikka Laatu, Deputy Director General at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, will transfer to her new position as Finland’s Ambassador to Myanmar after spending four years in a ringside seat watching significant changes taking place in development policy. The changes have been numerous: globally the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and at home five different Ministers for International Development, a new Government Report on Development Policy, and budget cuts affecting appropriations and human resources.
At the international level the year 2015 was a super year for development policy, according to Laatu. It was the year the international community adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Abeba Action Agenda on development financing, and the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
Laatu attended the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 where the Agenda 2030 was adopted established,” Laatu recalls.
While Laatu’s current job holds her interest, she is excited about going to Myanmar, after all it was her first choice. Myanmar became an important development aid partner for Finland a few years ago, and the country is undergoing rapid change.
“Myanmar is an interesting country for development policy, and there are even many Finnish companies interested in the country. The peace process is politically fragile. Finland has advocated the process already for years, and we are among its core supporters,” Laatu says.
Read full story on Ambassador Riikka Laatu
Sources:
Diplomatic Mission of Finland Yangon
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland
Photos: Marja-Leena Kultanen
