Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen to the new BA graduates at the conferral of an honorary doctorate at Finlandia University, Hancock, Michigan on 27 April 2003

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I thank Finlandia University for the honorary degree which it has awarded me. I interpret this as tribute not only to me personally, but also to all Finns and Finlandia University’s Finnish roots. The decision by Finnish immigrants over a century ago to found this institution of learning, originally as Suomi College, here on the other side of an ocean was a fine demonstration of internationalisation in its time and of the value the Finns attached to education. Perseverance and open-mindedness were called for in those days, and the same attitude today will help us meet future challenges as well.

Today’s Finland is a very different place from the country that the founders of this institution left. A poor and predominantly agrarian grand duchy within the Russian Empire has developed into a prosperous country that in several sectors has become a world leader. The Finnish wood-processing industry has been renowned all over the world for decades. Today, Finland is known as above all a high-technology country thanks especially to Nokia, but also to many other companies.

In a manner unbefitting Finns, I am especially proud of the fact that a comparative survey conducted in the OECD countries found that Finnish schoolchildren were among the best in both mathematics and reading skills. The Finns esteem education. That is a fact that has not changed in the past 107 years.

In recent years Finland has also ranked first – or second – in international assessments of competitiveness and last year we ranked first when it comes to sustainable development as well. Of course, there is also a table where we are right at the bottom – something that we are not ashamed of either – because Transparency International has judged Finland to be the world’s least-corrupt country.

Finland took a long step on the road of gender equality ten days ago, when Anneli Jäätteenmäki became our first woman prime minister. I believe Finland is the only country in the world where both the president and the prime minister are women. In addition to all this, the new government contains equal numbers of women and men. You people of Michigan have not either been afraid of electing women to high positions.

That is probably enough about Finland for now. Now I would like to speak about our one world, in which we share a future.

The acts of terror in the United States on September 11, 2001 brought a new kind of insecurity, even fear, into the lives of not just Americans, but also all of us, in a way that none of us had experienced before. Individual deeds on their own will not make uncertainty and unpredictability disappear.

Security is a broad totality. It is more than just the physical security of individuals and societies. In addition to terrorism, things like pollution, water problems, global warming, epidemics of infectious diseases like SARS, international crime and drug trafficking do not respect national frontiers. No country can handle, much less resolve these challenges on its own. No one lives independently of everyone else. Neither a man, nor a country is an island.

Mutual dependence is also a resource, because no country can nowadays be left on its own to deal with its political or economic problems. Their effects are immediately felt in neighbouring countries and everywhere in the world as uncertainty, growing numbers of refugees or in other forms.

In the modern world, even looking after one’s own interests requires consideration of others. When we try to ensure the welfare of our own country and people, we must strengthen security and prosperity a lot more broadly. I myself also believe in people’s equality – in something that both the Bible and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mention.

The best way to promote our own – and everyone’s – security is through international cooperation. The most important instrument of cooperation is political will. When there is a will there is a way. The UN’s Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development in March 2002 and the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 all clearly showed that the international community’s shared will to build a better future is alive and well.

Cooperation means you must consider others. If the interests of the various parties are not the same, compromises are called for. Cooperation must also mean a commitment. It is not an optional subject to be taken up when it suits yourself. It is an instrument that we can use to help ourselves by supporting others.

A security system founded on cooperation must be strong enough to give it the ability to deal credibly with a situation in which the principles of the international system are being flouted. In this, the UN plays an irreplaceable role. The UN Security Council has a mandate to maintain international peace and security. A limited body representing and acting on behalf of the UN’s entire membership has been given a responsible task, the performance of which demands a sense of common purpose and compromise on narrowly defined national interests.

All countries, big and small, are needed in international cooperation to guarantee our security. Especially the United States is needed in international cooperation. Its political, economic and military might gives the United States an incomparable ability – and responsibility – to take care of itself and help others.

The international situation is difficult today, both politically and economically. During the war in Iraq and the crisis preceding it, differences between the countries on the UN Security Council became worryingly major. These differences should be left behind as soon as possible.

The war in Iraq has to all intents and purposes ended, but the work of building a society based on the Iraqis’ own will is just beginning. This is a challenging task. Its success will require the participation of the entire international community. That is why it is important that the United Nations has a central role in this work. In difficult circumstances, at a time of great challenges, international cooperation is needed more than ever.

You young people are considerably better equipped to face this world of globalisation than representatives of my generation. Knowledge and skills, which are nowadays acquired very young, make this world of information networks very small. Everything seems to be at your fingertips. News channels show events in a rapidly changing world soon after they happen, and even live from the battlefield. Understanding information calls for a critical mind and maturity in quite a different way than it used to.

Travel and studies abroad likewise make you young people better prepared to face the world. Getting to know other peoples and other cultures helps you understand the different starting points and circumstances of others. Through the simple things of everyday life you also gain completely different insights into global challenges than those you would get through book learning alone.

Young adults and children are our future. You have your lives ahead of you. I hope you will remember that by giving up a little in your own lives you can bring about big changes in the lives of others. I hope you will grow to a sense of internationalism and learn to understand and support other young people who may not have the opportunity to graduate as Bachelors at Finlandia University.

New Bachelors,
America’s hope,

30 years ago, Bob Dylan sang these lyrics in his song "Forever young":

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.

I wish you success and happiness in your future!