Ville Tavio is Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Finland.
At the end of November I had the pleasure to visit Nepal, just as the diplomatic relations between Finland and Nepal had reached their 50th anniversary.
In the span of four productive days, I met H.E. Vice President, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Education, Science and Technology. The Finnish delegation also did a field trip to a development cooperation site, visited a school and met several local entrepreneurs.
Nepal is Finland’s third largest partner country in development cooperation. In about two years from now, Nepal is expected to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. The time is now ripe for broadening the forms of collaboration of our two countries. I wish to see more of Finnish private sector activity in the growing market of Nepal, both independently and connected to development cooperation. Finland emphasizes international ties with mutual benefits.
In the long term, the Finnish development cooperation in Nepal has focused on water & sanitation, education, and gender equality. With our support, over two million people in Nepal have gained access to clean drinking water. We have supported women’s economic independence and our collaboration in Nepal’s education sector has contributed to the delightful increase of literacy rate and girls’ enrollment in schools, opening doors to a thriving future for the next generation.
Our collaboration goes beyond government-to-government support. Around 20 Finnish civil society organizations have worked in Nepal for years with their local partners, covering sectors such as disaster risk management, woman entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and the rights of persons with disabilities.
During my visit to Nepal, three major projects moved forward:
First, the Finnish development financier Finnfund launched a 10 Million EUR investment in Internet connectivity, thus making the Web better accessible to more Nepali people. The Finnish network company Nokia is involved in the project as a reliable hardware provider.
Second, Finland announced 5 Million EUR to a five-year-long project in Nepal focusing on enhancing teacher education. This Technical Support Cooperation to School Education Sector in Nepal (TECSES) project is implemented by HY+, a Finnish company providing education and development services. The project is co-funded by the European Union, and will continue until the year 2028.
Third, Finland and Nepal signed a framework contract for Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF), which enables Nepal to get infrastructure development loans with very reasonable conditions. PIF funding requires that the project implementer is a company registered in Finland, and that the project has sufficient Finnish content approved. Finnish companies have substantial know-how in multiple relevant sectors, such as waste water management, clean water supplies, digitalization, and early warning systems to prepare for natural disasters.
In Finland we believe that Nepal has good potential in terms of growth, and Finland is an excellent partner because we aim at mutual respect and healthy forms of trade that contribute to the sovereignty of Nepal. We reflect on our shared journey, the significant achievements we have made together, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
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