Keynote address by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the Seventh Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade in Qatar on 23 April 2007

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It is an honour and a pleasure to be here in Doha and to address this high level audience. At the outset, I would like thank Qatar, and especially His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, for hosting this important gathering already for the seventh time. I have followed the Forum with interest, and am delighted to now have the opportunity to join in its proceedings. The Forum is particularly valuable for gathering together such a wide range of actors from multilateral organisations, governments, parliaments, business and NGO communities, from the region and beyond. The opportunity presented by the Forum for dialogue and networking between people and different groups is, I believe, more important today than ever.

In the following, I will look at each of the three themes of the Forum - democracy, development and free trade - from the perspective of Finnish and European experiences, since exchanging experiences, "comparing notes", so to say, is the essence of the Forum itself.

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In Finland, we celebrated one hundred years of universal and equal suffrage last year. In 1906, that is eleven years before becoming independent, Finland became the first country in the world to grant full political rights to all citizens, men and women, irrespective of wealth or social position. This remarkable change was brought about, in large part, through active work at the grassroots level - with political, independence, labour and women's organisations all working together for the common aim of establishing an equal right for all to participate in making the decisions affecting their lives. The cooperation by the different actors, each with their own social and political agendas, was based on the realisation that a small country needs to pool all its resources in order to develop and prosper. In this context it is worth mentioning that after the recent parliamentary elections in Finland out of 200 members of parliament, 84 are women. Perhaps even more remarkable is that in the government appointed last week out of 20 ministers, 12 are women.

The idea of Finland as a joint endeavour has served us well throughout our history, and still holds true today. The democratic and egalitarian ideals of 1906 form the core of our political and social system to this day. They are also the essence of the so-called Nordic welfare state model. It emphasises equal opportunities, social justice, participatory governance and the rule of law. It is a model which combines the dynamism of the market economy with a strong prominence on human resources, education and social well-being - and, I believe, the single most important factor in explaining the social and economic achievements of our country thus far.

The emphasis on human resources and social justice has benefited us in social terms. This has increased social cohesion, promoting good governance and preventing corruption. It has been a success also in economic terms. In a little bit more than 100 years Finland, which has no major natural resources, has developed from one of the poorest European countries to one of the most prosperous countries of the world.

How has this been possible? The short answer, I believe, is education. In Finland, our national strategy is based on the realisation that a small nation can only compete with quality. Quality, in turn, requires skills and creativity. And the key to all this is education. Basic education for all contributes to the aim of having the entire intellectual capacity of the society in use. Investment in research and development, with close cooperation between government, academia and the business sector, are another aspect of the same policy. At the moment, our public R&D spending ranks among the highest in the world. It is thanks to this that Finland today is best described as an innovation and knowledge economy.

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If the necessity of participation by all members of society can be said to be the first key component of the Finnish model, then a close second is the value of international cooperation.

In economic terms, foreign trade has always been essential for Finland. In the era of globalisation, our dependence on international economic and commercial cooperation has only been further highlighted.

Culturally and scientifically, Finland has throughout her history benefited from exchanges with our neighbours in Europe and further afield. European and Finnish culture has developed in a fruitful interaction especially with our Mediterranean and Middle Eastern partners - across linguistic, religious, ethnic and cultural barriers.

In the political and security field, Finland places a high value on multilateral cooperation. As a small country, we see a strong rules-based international system with effective intergovernmental institutions as the best guarantor of security - military and human. Strengthening international norms and institutions is therefore an essential element of Finnish foreign policy.

The United Nations, as the key global forum is of course at the centre of this activity. Finland has been an active member of the UN family for over 50 years now. From our perspective as a small country focusing on the UN is a natural choice. In today's world it is also an increasingly widely held conviction worldwide.

The process of globalisation has increased interdependence among countries and regions. It has brought with it new opportunities, but also new challenges. Meanwhile, the all too familiar challenges of achieving peace, security, development and human rights for all, remain far from being solved. The interconnectedness of these challenges is by now a well established fact - there can be no security without development, and neither can be achieved without respect for human rights and the rule of law.

We, the world community, need to promote sustainable development worldwide. Climate change, pandemics, terrorism and proliferation of nuclear weapons are some of the many threats to human security that can only be tackled effectively through multilateral cooperation.

One example of a more and more globalised social phenomenon is international migration, a topic of increasing concern also for Europe and the Middle East. With globalisation, international migration has grown in terms of numbers of people involved, geographic range, and economic importance. There is a clear need to establish a common set of rules to govern this phenomenon, manage its effects in countries of origin and destination, mitigate the effects of brain drain, protect the rights of migrant workers, and make the most of the positive gains that exist. As all social phenomena, international migration is a complex, multifaceted issue that can only be solved with the participation of all concerned, governments, social partners, and civil society institutions alike.

In addressing the wider security agenda, the UN and other global fora are central, but regional and interregional cooperation are increasingly important as well.

Finland, as you know, is a member of the European Union and of the euro zone. After 12 years of membership in the EU, it is already beginning to be difficult to imagine life outside of it. This spring, we in the European Union have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Rome treaties, which formed the basis of what is today called the European Union. The making of the Union is far from finished, however - on the contrary, it is work in progress, with new challenges emerging with every old one that is surmounted. After 50 years, the record is nonetheless clear: European cooperation and integration is a success story without comparison.

In some ways, the results of European integration are so impressive that we have come to take them for granted: The internal market, the single currency, the freedom of movement of persons and goods are commonplace today. Young people today consider it only natural that all universities in Europe are open to them and that they can freely choose their place of work from among the 27 member states.

The EU is based on shared values, on genuine cooperation and solidarity, and on the desire to build a better future together. The realisation here is the same as on the national level in Finland - without solidarity among all concerned, no progress is possible. In order to be successful and sustainable, European integration must benefit all its participants - in other words, remain a win-win situation.

So far, the benefits of integration have been clearly felt Europe-wide, in terms of enhanced stability and prosperity. According to a recent report by the European Commission, the enlargement of the EU with ten new members in 2004 has already benefited all member states. Another sign of success is the continued attraction of EU membership among countries that are not yet members. The prospect of a future membership in the EU is an important factor in generating social reforms for instance in the Balkans. In this sense, the EU can hope to have a lasting positive influence in the entire region also in the future.

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As I said at the outset, I have spoken here based on our national and regional experiences and I look forward hearing views from this region. In today's world, no country or region acts in isolation, and despite different backgrounds, we all face the same challenges. Parallels to the Middle East and Gulf region are therefore easy to see:

Diversification of economies, development of knowledge based industries, and the challenges of global competitiveness are also intensively discussed in this region.

Human resources development and a renewed focus on education, especially of women, have been identified as important elements in enhancing human development in the Middle East region, for instance in the Arab Human Development Reports of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).

Questions of participatory government, political and economic reforms, democracy and human rights have all been discussed in the context of this Forum in previous years, and are on the agenda again today, along with the role of civil society organisations, the perspectives for corporate governance and social responsibility. And the list goes on.

At the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in December, the questions of regional economic integration, the creation of a single market and the adoption of a single currency were discussed from the Gulf perspective. In Europe, we've followed the GCC discussions with great interest, and we look forward to continuing our exchanges on these issues in the context of our economic and political dialogue. We firmly believe that an exchange of experiences on these topics can enrich the debate at both ends.

In terms of interregional economic cooperation, attention is focused on the negotiations for an EU–GCC Free Trade Agreement, which are closer than ever to a successful conclusion.

Regarding regional political and security issues, we share many common interests as well. European Union was active in finding a solution to the Lebanon crisis last year. We Finns were very much involved in this exercise as we were holding the Presidency of the EU at the time of war in Lebanon. The EU has worked actively to revitalise the Middle East Peace Process, and we are committed to continuing that work together with all partners in the region, in the context of the Middle East Quartet, on UN fora, and through bilateral means.

And last but not least, the global challenges of development, security and human rights are clearly ones where we need to work together, across regions and on all relevant fora. Beyond states, I call upon all civil society actors, NGOs, media and business partners to play an active role as well. For beginning this joint effort, there can be no better place than this Forum. For effective global action, a free and frank exchange of ideas is essential, and networks reaching beyond national borders are needed - networks such as the ones I'm confident will be formed here over the coming two days.

This is the thought I want to leave you with tonight: Alone, there isn't much we can do. Together, there isn't much we cannot.

Thank you for your attention - wa shukran dzäsiilän.