On 18 December 2019, Paulette Lenert, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, visited the United Nations Technology Innovation Lab (UNTIL) in Espoo, Finland.
Launched a bit more than a year ago in Helsinki, the UNTILab aims to incubate and speed up the use of innovative products and services in order to meet the most urgent needs of UN members on peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. These technological solutions are based on the development of partnerships between the United Nations, the Member States and public and private stakeholders. Several UNTILabs already exist today, including in Egypt, India, Malaysia and Finland. The aim of each UNTLab is to focus on specific and central development themes to meet the needs, priorities and assets of their respective geo-location. The aim of the visit was to gain a better understanding of the involvement of the local ecosystem in stimulating innovation for the purposes of socio-economic development and to explore similar ways of working with and in Luxembourg.
Paulette Lenert also met Elina Kalkkum, Undersecretary of State for Development Policies, the Middle East and Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. The talks focused on the Finnish priorities for development cooperation, in particular in the discussions on the new multiannual financial framework of the European Union, and on the integration of innovative technologies, in particular through public-private partnerships, within the Finnish cooperation policy.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action