HELSINKI: PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000696 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G, DRL/SEA, AND NSC/DEMOC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL FI SUBJECT: HELSINKI: PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT 2007 UNGA: FOLLOWING UP ON PRAGUE DOCUMENT REF: SECSTATE 125456 ¶1. (U) Finland's main human rights priority over the past several years has been the battle against trafficking-in- persons (TIP),and Post's outstanding cooperation with the GoF in this area has made it a key highlight of our bilateral relationship. Post has engaged very actively with the Finns to raise awareness; to protect victims' rights; to establish legislation to prosecute traffickers; and to create a national TIP action plan. In 2005 Finland began prosecuting its first trafficker under newly passed legislation, and its demand-reduction and victim assistance programs have become models elsewhere in Europe. Indeed, during the past four years, we have seen Finland transform itself from a nation that largely ignored its TIP problem to a real leader in Europe in fighting TIP. ¶2. (U) Several government officials and civil society activists could be fairly categorized as human rights defenders in the battle against TIP. The most prominent of these would include Ilkka Heranen, head of the Finnish immigration authority, who has demanded that his units be thoroughly trained in victim identification and assistance methods; and Eva Biaudet, a long-time Finnish TIP activist and former Member of Parliament, who was appointed OSCE Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in October 2006. ¶3. (U) The dialogue between government and civil society groups in Finland is outstanding. NGOs operate shelters that provide assistance and counseling to TIP victims; phone hotlines for victims and law enforcement officals; training seminars for Finnish law enforcement authorities; and TIP demand reduction efforts. All NGOs receive the bulk of their funding from the GoF. The GoF also provides funding to the International Organization for Migration (IOM),the Nordic-Baltic Task Force, and the OSCE to fund anti-TIP projects. ¶4. (U) As for coordination with regional organizations and coordination with the US, Finland has become a model for simultaneously raising TIP awareness in Europe while also promoting trans-Atlantic cooperation. Combating trafficking-in-persons has been one of Finland's top Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) priorities, and it used the occasion of its EU Presidency during the second half of 2006 to raise awareness of TIP throughout the EU. The GoF organized a conference on child victim identification and interview issues that brought more than 100 law enforcement, social work, and NGO personnel together from throughout the EU. Citing American expertise with child trafficking victims, the GoF asked the Embassy for assistance in bringing in a US expert. Finland cooperates with Europol, Eurojust; with the Nordic-Baltic countries, through multilateral processes such as the Nordic-Baltic Task Force and Arctic Council; with Nordic-Baltic countries through the Nordic-Baltic information sharing network; and bilaterally with Russia, the Baltic countries, and any other relevant countries. As part of its national action plan, the National Bureau of Investigation formed a dedicated anti-trafficking unit. Finnish liaison officers with anti-trafficking responsibility are now stationed in Murmansk, Petrozavorsk, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tallinn, The Hague, Lyon, Malaga, and Beijing. Finland also participates in the "Nordic Cooperation Network", a network of Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic law enforcement liaison officers scattered throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle-East. ¶5. (U) From the public diplomacy perspective, Finnish- sponsored US-EU cooperation and Finnish efforts on the multilateral stage have been highlighted by Finnish and European media. US-Finland cooperation has also been a PD highlight for us, and US TIP experts have always received keen media interest on their frequent visits here. ¶6. (U) Aside from TIP, Finland's other human rights priorities include financial and political support to NGOs and occasional and targeted support to dissidents, exiles, moderates, human rights activists and pro- democracy leaders in Russia, "Europe's new neighborhood," and Central Asia. Finland funds several NGOs in Russia that are engaged in environmental and educational activities near the Finnish border. There is also significant cross-border educational exchange. In 2006, when Russia passed its infamous legislation aimed at limiting NGOs ability to operate, Finnish Members of Parliament wrote an open letter to their Duma counterparts urging them to strengthen, rather than limit, indigenous Russian NGOs and also calling on them to consider the negative impact such legislation would have on Russia's worldwide human rights image. The GoF also protested through diplomatic channels and insisted on exemptions to ensure that the NGOs it funds could continue their work. ¶7. (U) As for the more difficult work of reaching out to regional democracy activists and human rights defenders, Finland targets its efforts carefully. The GoF has funded the International Humanities University in Vilnius for Belarusian exiles through the EU and bilaterally for more than three years. Meanwhile, senior GoF officials have begun to take a more direct role in reaching out to pro-democracy leaders, especially in the Balkans and in Belarus. PM Vanhanen hosted Belarusian opposition leader Alexandre Milinkevic last fall; the Finns highlighted support for democratic forces during the EU-Ukraine Summit that occurred during their EU Presidency; and President Halonen hosted Serb President Tadic June 2 in an attempt to help bolster pro-Western forces within Belgrade's new government. Finland also targets significant development and civil society funding to Kosovo. Finland showed real leadership in Spring 2007 in calling for a "common EU policy" to support Estonia and in criticizing Moscow's heavy-handed reprisals during the "Bronze Statue" crisis. This was a clear break from the practice of previous administrations, which preferred to sit back and let the EU take the lead on contentious Russia-related human rights issues. HYATT