If you did not have a chance to join the event in the Esplanade Park, but you're anxious to know how the story "Building Public Trust – Hopes, needs and viewpoints of different building blocks in Nation-Building" was created, here are some video clips for you. These samples are a little peek into all the interesting performances we got to enjoy during that great and sunny day in the Esplanade Park.
Under-Secretary of State Juhani Turunen, Ministry of Finance
Country Information Researcher Antero Leitzinger, Finnish Immigration Service
General Manager Suvi-Anne Siimes, Pharma Industry Finland
Vice-president Eero Rämö, The Finnish Red Cross
Female refugee of the year Fatbardhe Hetemaj
Secretary General Laura Simik, The Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students
Chief Communications Officer Eero Waronen, The City of Helsinki
15 Jul 2009
Building Public Trust – Hopes, needs and viewpoints of different building blocks in Nation-Building
This year Finland celebrates the 200th anniversary of the nation-building event in 1809. At that time Finland’s 650-year connection with Sweden was broken and it became a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire. Central government bodies were established in Finland. All this made Finns happy and optimistic about the future, because it meant that they could develop their country by themselves. So what did the Finns do, and where did those actions take them? Now, after 200 years, it might be a good idea to stop for a second and take a quick look at this Nation-Building process and how does it look like today.
It is obvious that the nation does not build itself just like that; it consists of many different building blocks with various hopes, needs and viewpoints. Despite the fact that their viewpoints might vary, the ultimate goal to build a wealthy and content nation remains the same. All of them are aware, that this goal can be reached only with a certain recipe: loads of functional interaction and a large amount of trust in each other. Hence, they all have their own ways of being a part of building this public trust that is needed in Nation-Building.
When you really pay attention, you can hear these different building blocks bringing out their own hopes, needs and even demands all around you. For instance, here are few examples that you can discover when listening carefully:
One of the most common hopes is openness. Openness is an essential part of building public trust among the citizens, politicians making decisions and civil servants drafting and executing the political decisions. It is needed when reaching for good governance, well-functioning public administration and uncorrupted civil service. Openness of the public administration does not any more mean just the possibility for the citizens and journalists to get a copy of a public document when they decide to ask for it, it is expected to occur everywhere as an operational principle.
The principle of openness is expected to have more and more effects in practise. For example, Finland is a democratic state. But if the institution of democracy is full of rules, codes, traditions, specialists and think-tank’s, it can be hard for all citizens to understand. Maintaining the principle of openness means, that also the principles of democracy should be adapted and developed along with the spirit of the time.
Another central point of view is to understand the value of internationalization; the fact that diversity is a privilege, not a burden. Being patriotic and showing respect towards ones home country is as its best when going hand in hand with valuing diversity. A person does not necessarily need to be a Finn by birth to be a true Finn. A man can also become a Finn by choice; to choose a new life and use it well. When taking a wider perspective towards the matter you can see also the global privileges: A nation that encourages immigration demonstrates to the world the value of its society and culture, by the fact that people are attracted to the idea of coming there.
In addition to immigration, internationalization can be considered from many other viewpoints. For example, the membership of European Union has become a part of everyday life in Finland. It has made the Europe and the whole world smaller, and the range of different possibilities wider. Finland as a country has got the chance to learn from others’ best practises, and a single Finn has got multiple privileges as an EU citizen. Doing business over borders is not such a big issue for companies either, when comparing with the former times. Universities co-operating over boarders enable the welfare of scientific knowledge that is crucial in modern societies.
Taking a good look at things happening in the world also reminds that all things should not be taken for granted. The rights of an average citizen, peaceful living conditions or clean water are things that a person born in a developed country can easily take for granted. The process from the very beginning to these standards of living has required lots of work, and the work is still continuing. There are still goals to reach, and also important things to bear in mind. One of the most important is to value the things already accomplished, and make sure that the precious heritages are passed on for future generations to cherish.
When coming back from the global perspective to the concept of diversity, there is still one important viewpoint to be considered. Diversity is not only about nationalities, it is also about all possible potential a nation has to exploit. Diversity might actually be a word to be left totally out of the picture, and use the term “potential” instead. Think about for example the potential that hides in the young; anxious to make this world a better place to live if they only have the ways to express themselves. Listening to different representatives of the society by giving everyone equal chances to speak out increases the trust among the nation and makes the nation itself stronger.
Understanding the moments of success and failures in the past is crucial, but what is even more crucial is to learn from them. So let’s learn from the past and have faith in the future. Because without faith in it, there will be no future.
It is obvious that the nation does not build itself just like that; it consists of many different building blocks with various hopes, needs and viewpoints. Despite the fact that their viewpoints might vary, the ultimate goal to build a wealthy and content nation remains the same. All of them are aware, that this goal can be reached only with a certain recipe: loads of functional interaction and a large amount of trust in each other. Hence, they all have their own ways of being a part of building this public trust that is needed in Nation-Building.
When you really pay attention, you can hear these different building blocks bringing out their own hopes, needs and even demands all around you. For instance, here are few examples that you can discover when listening carefully:
One of the most common hopes is openness. Openness is an essential part of building public trust among the citizens, politicians making decisions and civil servants drafting and executing the political decisions. It is needed when reaching for good governance, well-functioning public administration and uncorrupted civil service. Openness of the public administration does not any more mean just the possibility for the citizens and journalists to get a copy of a public document when they decide to ask for it, it is expected to occur everywhere as an operational principle.
The principle of openness is expected to have more and more effects in practise. For example, Finland is a democratic state. But if the institution of democracy is full of rules, codes, traditions, specialists and think-tank’s, it can be hard for all citizens to understand. Maintaining the principle of openness means, that also the principles of democracy should be adapted and developed along with the spirit of the time.
Another central point of view is to understand the value of internationalization; the fact that diversity is a privilege, not a burden. Being patriotic and showing respect towards ones home country is as its best when going hand in hand with valuing diversity. A person does not necessarily need to be a Finn by birth to be a true Finn. A man can also become a Finn by choice; to choose a new life and use it well. When taking a wider perspective towards the matter you can see also the global privileges: A nation that encourages immigration demonstrates to the world the value of its society and culture, by the fact that people are attracted to the idea of coming there.
In addition to immigration, internationalization can be considered from many other viewpoints. For example, the membership of European Union has become a part of everyday life in Finland. It has made the Europe and the whole world smaller, and the range of different possibilities wider. Finland as a country has got the chance to learn from others’ best practises, and a single Finn has got multiple privileges as an EU citizen. Doing business over borders is not such a big issue for companies either, when comparing with the former times. Universities co-operating over boarders enable the welfare of scientific knowledge that is crucial in modern societies.
Taking a good look at things happening in the world also reminds that all things should not be taken for granted. The rights of an average citizen, peaceful living conditions or clean water are things that a person born in a developed country can easily take for granted. The process from the very beginning to these standards of living has required lots of work, and the work is still continuing. There are still goals to reach, and also important things to bear in mind. One of the most important is to value the things already accomplished, and make sure that the precious heritages are passed on for future generations to cherish.
When coming back from the global perspective to the concept of diversity, there is still one important viewpoint to be considered. Diversity is not only about nationalities, it is also about all possible potential a nation has to exploit. Diversity might actually be a word to be left totally out of the picture, and use the term “potential” instead. Think about for example the potential that hides in the young; anxious to make this world a better place to live if they only have the ways to express themselves. Listening to different representatives of the society by giving everyone equal chances to speak out increases the trust among the nation and makes the nation itself stronger.
Understanding the moments of success and failures in the past is crucial, but what is even more crucial is to learn from them. So let’s learn from the past and have faith in the future. Because without faith in it, there will be no future.
9 Jul 2009
The Conference is now officially opened
Wednesday 8th of July was the day we had been waiting for - the IIAS 2009 conference was finally officially opened! On the morning of the first day we had 285 pariticipants registered, which made us very happy.
At the opening session of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Governmnet Mari Kiviniemi welcomed the participants to the conference together with the professor Dr. Franz Strehl the President of IIAS, Mr. Rolet Loretan, The Director General of the IIAS and Ms. Katju Holkeri the President of the Organising Committee. We also had a possibility to enjoy the speech of our first keynote speaker the Honorable Jocelyne Bourgon as well as the introduction to the conference themes by the Professor Christopher Pollitt (in the picture) , the Rapporteur General of the Conference.
The afternoon of the first day was filled with the first sets of workshops and the host contry panel. People participated the sessions actively and seemed to be learning their way around the venue also. In the evening we were invited to the reception at the Helsinki City Hall. I think we all enjoyed the good company and the nice summary buffet, which gave us all a nice opportunity to relax!
Johanna.
8 Jul 2009
The IIAS National Event at Esplanade Park
Before the official opening of the IIAS2009 conference, a national event was organised at the Esplanade Park on yesterday afternoon. The aim of this free event was to provide citizens, tourists and passers-by a glimpse of what the IIAS2009 conference is all about.The event was organized in a form of a story, “Building Public Trust”, consisting of two-minute speeches. Representatives of different parts of the society participated in the story by reflecting their particular roles in nation building and in relation to Finnish public administration.
The speeches addressed the topic from various viewpoints. General Manager for Pharma Industry Finland, former Minister of Public Administration Ms Suvi-Anne Siimes represented the corporate side and encouraged the public administration to become even more transparent. Vice president for the Finnish Red Cross, Eero Rämö argued that in order to build public trust, young people should be seen as actors, not as passive audiences. Professor Turo Virtanen from the University of Helsinki compared the recently discussed reform of university legislation to a car, which can have multiple drivers - who should though draw their maps and driving routes together.
Several speeches touched on the topic of immigration and multiculturalism. Author and journalist Umayya Abu-Hanna had a clear wish for the Finnish administration: more action, less talk about tolerating diversity. Researcher for the Finnish Directorate of Immigration, Mr Antero Leitzinger pointed out the long history of immigration to Finland. Many of the brands we have today – such as Fazer, Stockmann or Paulig - are based on lifelong work conducted by immigrants. Ms Fatbardhe Hetemaj who was chosen as the Female Refugee of the Year 2009 in Finland claimed that it is not culture but misunderstanding and distrust that separate us from each other. She believes in multiculturalism and sees immigration as a way of creating new life. Ms Hetemaj also feels that the Finnish society is not intolerant but inviting to many.
Hostess for the event was journalist Maarit Tastula, and the innovative artist Zarkus Poussa was in charge of the music. Even though the weather showed the best and the worst of Finnish summer, the event gathered together a diverse audience.
If you missed this event, I might still have some good news for you: Who knows if we will see some video clips of the speeches in this blog later on...
Marja
7 Jul 2009
TED2
Yesterday our conference week started with the Trans-European Dialogue of NISPACee and EGPA at the University of Helsinki Main building. Also the registration for the IIAS conferenece opened and later in the afternoon the first Finnish parallell session tok place that the Parliament organised by its Futures committee and chaired by the chair of the committee Ms Marja Tiura.
Today the TED2 continues with another day of dialogue about the theme Citizens vs Customers. Today takes place also our national ecent at the Esplanade Park. So far the weather looks okay for that event, and we surely hope that te sun keeps shining. The event includes over 10 short 2 minute speeches/interviews and we would like also here to thank all of those volonteering in this IIAS National Section event.
Katju
5 Jul 2009
The conference is already around the corner
I’ve been living in Helsinki only for few months, so there are still lots of new places for me to visit. I got really excited when packing the material for the conference participants, because I noticed how many interesting things it included also from my point of view. Lots of interesting information and new ideas what to do and where to go in Helsinki! I got already anxious to try out all the possibilities that this beautiful city is offering, and I’m sure people getting the same material are going to think alike.
One of the best things about the material is that the packages they’re in are recyclable. Even though we get all these things that I’m so exited about, the principles of a green conference have not been forgotten. Being a part of organizing this conference has been extremely interesting, and taking the green aspects in the picture is making it even better. I’m really looking forward to next week and everything it includes!
All the best,
Marja
One of the best things about the material is that the packages they’re in are recyclable. Even though we get all these things that I’m so exited about, the principles of a green conference have not been forgotten. Being a part of organizing this conference has been extremely interesting, and taking the green aspects in the picture is making it even better. I’m really looking forward to next week and everything it includes!
All the best,
Marja
1 Jul 2009
Stands for you to visit during the conference
In addition to the other activities during the conference next week, there will be on stand area for the participants to visit during the coffee breaks etc. The stands will be located right next to the registration area and so they are easy to access when entering or getting out of the building.
At the stand area information by following organisations will be provided: IIAS, IIAS National section of Finland, Finnish Ministry of Finance, University of Helsinki, University of Tampere, OECD, Finnish Association of Local and Regional Authorities, Finnish Prime Minister's Office and the Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd. In addition for tourist and other Helsinki information we will have a stand of the Helsinki Experts serving you with any questions regarding your free time in Finland.
Hope you will find interesting information and material also on the stands!
Best Wishes,
Johanna.
29 Jun 2009
One week to go!
One week from now and IIAS participants will start
arriving to Helsinki. Today we recieved from the City of Helsinki all the material (info, gift, pen) that on Thursday we will be packing to the conference bags. Still a lot to do, but fortunately the "To do" -list seems a little shorter than a week ago.
In the picture you see here is the University Main
Building. It faces the Senate Square which is a square where from time to time concerts and different kinds of happenings take place. For people of Helsinki it is the place where we welcome the New Year.
Just two blocks away is the Market Sqauare that during summer is open also in the afternoons. The time of strawberries is just beginning in Finland and if you want to have short break during one of the conference coffee breaks or during lunch hour to taste them, this is the one place to go and to see. In the centre of the Senate Square is a statue in honor of one of the Russian tsars and at the market square in the very middle there is a statue in honor of a wife of one the tsars. Those remind us Finns of the Russian era in our history. The start of the Russian era was exactly 200 years ago and it lasted until 1917 when Finland gained independence.
In the maps that we have included in the conference programme you may wonder why some names of the session or meeting rooms are in different languages. We have chosen always to use the name that appears on the door of that particular room. That way you know when you have reached the right room. There is also some logic behind the room names. For instance rooms on the newer side of the building are all in Finnish (like Sali 6). Also it is good to note that in Finland we have no ground floor so the first floor is the one that you enter from the street level.
Welcome to find more about our ways! See you soon1
Katju
arriving to Helsinki. Today we recieved from the City of Helsinki all the material (info, gift, pen) that on Thursday we will be packing to the conference bags. Still a lot to do, but fortunately the "To do" -list seems a little shorter than a week ago.
In the picture you see here is the University Main
Building. It faces the Senate Square which is a square where from time to time concerts and different kinds of happenings take place. For people of Helsinki it is the place where we welcome the New Year.
Just two blocks away is the Market Sqauare that during summer is open also in the afternoons. The time of strawberries is just beginning in Finland and if you want to have short break during one of the conference coffee breaks or during lunch hour to taste them, this is the one place to go and to see. In the centre of the Senate Square is a statue in honor of one of the Russian tsars and at the market square in the very middle there is a statue in honor of a wife of one the tsars. Those remind us Finns of the Russian era in our history. The start of the Russian era was exactly 200 years ago and it lasted until 1917 when Finland gained independence.
In the maps that we have included in the conference programme you may wonder why some names of the session or meeting rooms are in different languages. We have chosen always to use the name that appears on the door of that particular room. That way you know when you have reached the right room. There is also some logic behind the room names. For instance rooms on the newer side of the building are all in Finnish (like Sali 6). Also it is good to note that in Finland we have no ground floor so the first floor is the one that you enter from the street level.
Welcome to find more about our ways! See you soon1
Katju
26 Jun 2009
Building Public Trust – Hear my Part of the Story!
The programme of the National Event on Tuesday is getting better and better all the time. The more confirmations from performers taking part in this occasion we receive, the more excited I get about the whole event! We will surely hear a colourful story about building public trust from different perspectives.
The interesting variety of speakers include for instance former Minister of Public Administration Ms Suvi-Anne Siimes, now representing business as the General Manager of Pharma Industry Finland and Ms Fatbardhe Hetemaj who was chosen as the Female Refugee of the Year 2009 in Finland...to mention a few! In addition to all the speeches, we’ll also get to enjoy about excellent music played by a multifaceted Finnish musician, Mr Zarkus Poussa. He will entertain us by taking the story onwards with his spontaneous and catching music.
A famous Finnish TV-journalist Ms Maarit Tastula is also participating in the event. In my opinion, Maarit is a person you can’t forget after seeing her somewhere even once. Her impressive personality is something so unique that it’s not leaving anyone cold!
I’m looking forward to have all these interesting speakers and artists under the same roof and hear what they have to say. Or even better, under the same warm sun in the beautiful Esplanade Park! If the weather is going to be at least half as glorious as it has been for the past few days, the day will certainly be perfect!
Marja
The interesting variety of speakers include for instance former Minister of Public Administration Ms Suvi-Anne Siimes, now representing business as the General Manager of Pharma Industry Finland and Ms Fatbardhe Hetemaj who was chosen as the Female Refugee of the Year 2009 in Finland...to mention a few! In addition to all the speeches, we’ll also get to enjoy about excellent music played by a multifaceted Finnish musician, Mr Zarkus Poussa. He will entertain us by taking the story onwards with his spontaneous and catching music.
A famous Finnish TV-journalist Ms Maarit Tastula is also participating in the event. In my opinion, Maarit is a person you can’t forget after seeing her somewhere even once. Her impressive personality is something so unique that it’s not leaving anyone cold!
I’m looking forward to have all these interesting speakers and artists under the same roof and hear what they have to say. Or even better, under the same warm sun in the beautiful Esplanade Park! If the weather is going to be at least half as glorious as it has been for the past few days, the day will certainly be perfect!
Marja
24 Jun 2009
A sunny day by the sea
They say that few things impress first-time visitors to Finland more than the midnight sun in summertime. In Helsinki the sun sets for only a couple of hours on the longest day of the year. The long white and sunny days gives us all a great opportunity to enjoy the sea, which is an essential part of Helsinki.
Many guided excursions are offered, making it easy to discover the water and islands. The islands also provide beautiful settings for dining in many idyllic island restaurants.
The dinner of the IIAS2009 conference is also hosted by the sea at the restaurant of the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa hotel, overlooking the Gulf of Finland, just 10 minutes' drive from central Helsinki. I hope you all will enjoy the beatiful surroundings of the restaurant and get a glimbse of the Finnish nature so near to the centre of the capital city!
Greetings from sunny and warm Helsinki,
Johanna.
22 Jun 2009
Helsinki -my home town
The City of Helsinki is where I have lived all my life except for one six month period my family lived closed to our grand parents in Häme. For the last 28 years I have lived a couple of blogs away from the Senatre Square where also the IIAS2009 confrerence venue - the Univesity of Helsinki main building - is located. Now that I am working for the Ministry of Finance I cross the Senate Sqauare every morning going to work.
The City of Helsinki is one of our partners in building the conference and we are happy that on Wednesday evening (8th of July) the city is also hosting a reception for the conference participants. The reception takes place at the City Hall where also the City Council meetings are held. The entrance to the City Hall is from Pohjois-Esplanadi 11-13. This is the nothern one of the two Esplanades. The City Hall is a light blue big building opposite the Market Sqauare. Also this building is very familiar to me, as I used to work there for one summer during my school years taking care of delivering the post to the right people. The summer was very quiet, with not too much work. What I remember from the summer about the city administration was a warm and cosy atmosphere and people that were very nice to a young school girl in her first job.
Helsinki has over half a million inhabitants, that is 10% of the Finnish population. In the metropolitan area there are around 1 million which is one fifth of the country's population. If you are interested in more information about the City administration, please visit our website www.iias2009.fi and you can find a presentation on Helsinki in the Venue/Helsinkii/Finland -section of the pages.
I am looking very much forward to welcoming you to Helsinki!
Katju
The City of Helsinki is one of our partners in building the conference and we are happy that on Wednesday evening (8th of July) the city is also hosting a reception for the conference participants. The reception takes place at the City Hall where also the City Council meetings are held. The entrance to the City Hall is from Pohjois-Esplanadi 11-13. This is the nothern one of the two Esplanades. The City Hall is a light blue big building opposite the Market Sqauare. Also this building is very familiar to me, as I used to work there for one summer during my school years taking care of delivering the post to the right people. The summer was very quiet, with not too much work. What I remember from the summer about the city administration was a warm and cosy atmosphere and people that were very nice to a young school girl in her first job.
Helsinki has over half a million inhabitants, that is 10% of the Finnish population. In the metropolitan area there are around 1 million which is one fifth of the country's population. If you are interested in more information about the City administration, please visit our website www.iias2009.fi and you can find a presentation on Helsinki in the Venue/Helsinkii/Finland -section of the pages.
I am looking very much forward to welcoming you to Helsinki!
Katju
9 Jun 2009
Getting oriented
The IIAS2009 conference is clearly approaching fast. As the days go by, questions to deal with are becoming more and more practical. Currently, among other things, we are working with the details of an orientation guide we will be distributing to all the participants in order for them to find their way around the venue. Our previous customer journey mapping exercise proved to be useful if for nothing else, for sketching this guide! One of the very practical challenges right now for us is to figure out where in our office we will place all the material going to the conference after they are sent to us and before we can take them to the conference venue. My guess is that we will be working in middle of that material for the next few weeks.
This moment in the process is actually very exciting! You start to get phone calls and e-mails from people asking all the different questions and you suddenly realise they ARE actually coming to Helsinki! For such a long time planning of this event has been like planning something abstract which does not yet exist. Now it is becoming real and we all here are very much looking forward to it!
Johanna.
This moment in the process is actually very exciting! You start to get phone calls and e-mails from people asking all the different questions and you suddenly realise they ARE actually coming to Helsinki! For such a long time planning of this event has been like planning something abstract which does not yet exist. Now it is becoming real and we all here are very much looking forward to it!
Johanna.
28 May 2009
Book your hotel for the conference now!
In order to ensure that you will have a room in Helsinki during the conference we would advice you to book your hotel now. The easiest way to book the hotel is through our website http://www.iias2009.fi/ by the 31st May! After that you may book the room through Helsinki Experts service (there will be a link at our website) or directly from the hotels.
Tuesday we took a tour around the conference venue to check once more how we would place the different sessions in the different rooms. We were also doing some "customer journey mapping" in order to assure that we know how to place the direction signs for the participants to find their way around Helsinki university. Tuesday the other guests at the university were slightly more dignified than us as it happened that the secretary general of the United Nations Mr Ban Ki-moon was also visiting.
As this evening is nice and sunny we thought what better than a walk around the city. It is an excellent way also for visitors to get to know Helsinki. If you want to plan tour walk and take a route that is designed especially for visitors you may want to take a look at the guide "See Helsinki on Foot - 7 routes around the city" http://www.visithelsinki.fi/In_English/Visitor.iw3 .
As the university main building is by the Senate Square you might be interested in Route number one of the guide "Senate Square and its surroundings".
Johanna and Katju
25 May 2009
At your service
Today we held a briefing for the volonteer staff from the different departmentst and units of the Ministry of Finance who will be assisting the IIAS Hselsinki conference participants during the conference in July. Whether you are a speaker, presenting a paper, a panelist or a conference participant we will do our very best to serve you. You will recognize us assistants from the green scarfs or ties we are wearing.
You will of course be provided information about the conference and Helsinki at the conference venue as well as already on the website (www.iias2009.fi) , but you can also always turn to the assistants to ask for further information on anything you wish to know. And please remember that we are already at your disposal at iias2009@vm.fi for any questions you have before the conference.
It is today over 20 c in Helsinki, the sun is shining and the summer has begun. This is also the last week for the pupils and students before summer vacations start. And in a months time we hope to see you in Helsinki - you are warmly welcome!
Katju
You will of course be provided information about the conference and Helsinki at the conference venue as well as already on the website (www.iias2009.fi) , but you can also always turn to the assistants to ask for further information on anything you wish to know. And please remember that we are already at your disposal at iias2009@vm.fi for any questions you have before the conference.
It is today over 20 c in Helsinki, the sun is shining and the summer has begun. This is also the last week for the pupils and students before summer vacations start. And in a months time we hope to see you in Helsinki - you are warmly welcome!
Katju
22 May 2009
Greetings from the local IIAS2009 team
The organising team of the IIAS2009 in Helsinki has started a blog where we will try to keep you updated on the latest preparations of the conference in July.
At the moment we are working especially on the event that the IIAS local team will organise at the Esplanade Park on the 7th of July starting at 12.00 o'clock. This event will include music and a story that will evolve from the theme "Building Trust - Hear my Part of the Story" , where various aspects of nation-building will be addressed by different actors of the Finnish society.
This new blog will be kept by the local team members of the IIAS2009 conference. You will be hearing from many of us during the coming weeks.
See you in Helsinki!
Katju and Johanna
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