Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland)

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) is a ministry in the Finnish Government and is responsible for preparing and implementing the government's foreign policy.

Organisation

The ministry in 2017 has a total budget of 1.079 billion euros, of which 675 million will be spent on development cooperation and 248 million euros on the ministry's operating expenses. Upkeep of crisis management troops will cost 50 million euros and civilian personnel 15 million.

It employs 1,420 people (of whom approximately 74% are women) as well as 980 locally hired personnel and maintains 89 overseas offices housing foreign missions. Since 1987 the ministry has been concentrated in the Katajanokka district of Helsinki.

Two ministers in the current Petteri Orpo's government have portfolios relating to the ministry:

Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is in overall political control of the ministry
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development

The most senior civil servant is the Secretary of State, and is assisted by four Under-Secretaries of State with responsibilities allocated as follows:

Administrative, Legal and Protocol Affairs
Foreign and Security Policy, Communications and Culture
External Economic Affairs
International Development Cooperation and Development Policy

Below these, the ministry is divided into twelve departments:

Political Department
Department for External Economic Relations
Department for Development Policy
Department for Europe
Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia;
Department for the Americas and Asia;
Department for Africa and the Middle East.
Department for Global Affairs
Legal Department
Department for Administrative Affairs
Department for Communication and Culture
Protocol Department

Outside of these departments there are two specialised units:

Unit for Internal Auditing
Unit for Policy Planning and Research

Current Ministers

The ministers, as of 20 June 2023, are:

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs – Elina Valtonen
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development – Ville Tavio

The current Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is Matti Anttonen.

Official Development Assistance

According to the OECD, Finland's total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 1.6 billion) increased in 2022 due to in-donor refugee costs. It represented 0.58% of gross national income (GNI). Finland's development co-operation prioritises the rights and status of women and girls; sustainable economies and decent work; quality education; peace and democracy; and climate change and the sustainable use of natural resources.