ICC Secretary General meets Finnish President

President of Finland Tarja Halonen

Helsinki, 22 April 2005 – The President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, yesterday received ICC Secretary General Maria Livanos Cattaui, accompanied by the Chair and the Secretary General of ICC Finland, Markku Pohjola and Timo Vuori, respectively, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

President Halonen, who previously served as Co-Chair of the International Labour Organization's World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, and Mrs Cattaui discussed issues in the global economy and the roles governments and business should play in tackling some of the most pressing issues relating to development and poverty. President Halonen and Mrs Cattaui agreed that domestic companies and local entrepreneurs were key factors in economic development and the eradication of poverty. They agreed that governments should be responsible for establishing the most favourable local conditions, including business-friendly legislation. Even in a global economy, the elements for success are created at the local level.

Following her appointment with the President, Mrs Cattaui met with Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja, to discuss the Helsinki Process on Globalization and Democracy. The Finnish Government initiative, in co-operation with the Tanzanian Government, aims to bring together northern and southern countries to debate democracy, human rights and the environment in the context of globalization. Mr Tuomioja co-chairs the Helsinki Process and Mrs Cattaui is one of three business experts in a high-level advisory group known as the Helsinki Group.

Earlier in the day Mrs Cattaui, whose third and final term as ICC Secretary General will end mid-2005, delivered a speech at ICC Finland's annual meeting. The speech was entitled: Standing up for the global economy: Challenges and risks from the business perspective.

Mrs Cattaui emphasized that the role of governments in the global economy should be kept crystal clear.

"Governments are primarily responsible for creating the legal frameworks for political and economical actions," she said. "States must live up to and implement their international roles and obligations and it is the duty of business to obey all laws and uphold the highest practices, not as substitutes for government, but as creators of wealth."

Mrs Cattaui added that one of the biggest contributions of business and the private sector was spreading their knowledge and experiences, including technical know how, to hasten development, particularly in developing countries. Mrs Cattaui underscored that governments must stand ready to create supportive conditions for local entrepreneurship and private investment.

Following the speech, the Finnish community awarded Mrs Cattaui its highest medal of merit, the Chamber of Commerce Cross. The award was presented, on the initiative of ICC Finland, by representatives of the leading Finnish business organization, the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland. It was bestowed in recognition of Mrs Cattaui's contributions, at the highest level, to world business and chambers of commerce alike.

The ICC Secretary General's two-day visit to Finland also included a dinner attended by Finnish business leaders. The dinner was hosted by ICC Finland Chair Markku Pohjola, who is also Deputy CEO of Nordea.

Links

ICC policy recommendations for the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization Hong Kong, 13-18 December 2005 [PDF]

ICC Finland

Helsinki Process on Globalization and Democracy

UN Millennium development Goals