Pekka Haavisto

Pekka Haavisto is a Member of Parliament, the former Foreign Minister of Finland, and a presidential candidate for the 2024 election. Pekka is a peace negotiator and a defender of both democracy and human rights. Haavisto is especially experienced in foreign policy and international operations. He has led research into the environmental impact of wars and represented the EU and the UN in various crises all over the world. Haavisto has also authored numerous books. His beloved hobbies are literature, Beetle cars, and wooden boats.

CV

Education

Matriculation examination, Munkkivuoren yhteiskoulu, 1976

Journalism experience

Editor-in-chief, “Komposti”, 1979-1982
Editor-in-chief, “Suomi”, 1982-1987
Editor-in-chief, “Vihreä Lanka”, 1983

Municipal positions of responsibility

Helsinki tax committee 1981-1985
Helsinki real estate committee 1985-1988
Helsinki City Board 1987
Helsinki City Council 1988-1992
Helsinki City Council 2005-2008

Parliamentary work

Parliamentary group secretary 1983
Member of Parliament 1987-1995, member of committees on foreign affairs, legal affairs, and education and culture
Chair of parliamentary human rights group 1990-1995
Finnish delegation to the Nordic Council 1991-1993
Finnish delegation to the joint committee of European and Finnish parliaments 1993
Finnish delegation to the EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee 1993-1994
Member of Parliament 2007-present, member of Grand Committee and committees on foreign affairs and defence
Finnish delegation to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 2007-2008 (alternate member 2015-present)
Yleisradio Oy (The Finnish Broadcasting Company) Administrative Council 2011-2013

Other positions of responsibility

Chair of parliamentary human rights group 1990-1995
Chair, Green League 1993-1995
Visiting researcher, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) 2000-2002
Chair, European Green Party 2000-2006
Party and election funding task force 2009-2009
Constitutional Law Committee 2008-2010
Chair, Advisory Board on Romani Affairs 2008-2013
Board member, Plan Finland 2009-2013
Board member, Finn Church Aid 2009-2013 and 2014-2019
Chair, WWF Administrative Council 2011-2013
Board member, Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses 2014-2019
Chair, Green League 2018-2019

Minister duties

Minister of the Environment, Minister of Development Cooperation 1995-1999, Lipponen I government
Minister of Development Cooperation, Minister of Ownership Steering 2013-2014, Katainen and Stubb governments
Minister for Foreign Affairs 2019-2023, Rinne and Marin governments

International activities

United Nations Environment Programme UNEP missions in the crisis and disaster areas in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Palestine, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina and Sudan 1999–2005
EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Sudan and Darfur 2005–2007
UN Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) in the Darfur peace process 2007
Special Representative to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the African crisis 2009–2017
Board member, Bcause foundation 2014-present
Chair of European Institute of Peace (EIP), 2016–2019

Publications

Interrail guide 1977, 1978, 1979
Tehtävä Napapiirillä: kadonnutta aatetta metsästämässä (“Mission in the Arctic Circle: Hunting for a lost idea”) 1986.
Nuori Eurooppa: Inter-rail opas (“Young Europe: Interrail guide”) 1986.
Kesä Balkanilla (“Summer in the Balkans”) 1999.
UNEP: Various publications on environmental destruction in war 1999–2005
Afrikan tähteä etsimässä (“Looking for the African Star”) 2010
Hatunnosto (“Tribute”) 2010
Anna mun kaikki kestää: Sovinnon kirja (“What a life: A book on Reconciliation”) 2011
German Federal Government: International peer review on Germany’s sustainable development policy 2013
Lipunnosto ja räätälin viisaus (“Raising the Flag and Tailor’s Wisdom”) 2017
Eurooppa raiteilla (“Europe on Rails”) 2019