The Under Secretary of State in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ms. Anne Sipiläinen will visit Nepal in March 3-8. Under Secretary Sipiläinen is in charge of the implementation of the Finnish aid programme globally.

During her visit to Nepal Under Secretary Sipiläinen will meet ministers and high level civil servants of Nepal, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society representatives and human rights activists. The main purpose of her visit is to become acquainted with the political and socio-economic situation in Nepal as well as with the Finnish aid portfolio in the country.

According a press release of Embassy of Finland, Finland has been supporting Nepal´s development since early eighteens. Today the Finnish aid portfolio to Nepal amounts to approximately 25 million Euros annually (3,375 billion Nepali rupees). The main sectors Finland is involved in are education and human rights and democracy, rural water supply and sanitation and forestry. In addition to that Finland is financing several NGO-projects in the country implemented by Nepali NGO´s or Finnish and Nepali NGO´s jointly.