NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND MEMBER PROFILES
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND Nordic Women Mediators - Finland is a network of sixteen leading professionals in peace and security, with expertise ranging from civilian crisis management and international law to di- plomacy and peace mediation. Members of NWM-Finland come from diverse professional backgrounds, including the Min- istry for Foreign Afgairs of Finland, multilateral and regional organisations such as the UN and OSCE, civil society and Finnish political life. NWM-Finland is part of the Nordic Women Me- diators. It shares the vision and mission of the Nordic network and works towards realizing them in Finland and abroad. The overarching aim of NWM Finland is to pro- mote the inclusive and meaningful participa- tion of women in all phases of peace process- es and to advance the engagement of Finnish professionals in support for peace globally. Photos: Olli Puumalainen / CMI unless noted otherwise.
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND MEMBER PROFILES BATULO ESSAK TARJA FERNÁNDEZ Batulo Essak is a Somalia-born civil society leader, Tarja Fernández is Ambassador of Finland to Leba- distinguished for her work on multiculturalism and non and Jordan and serves as Chargée d’affaires to gender equality. She is a midwife and public nurse Syria. She has extensive experience of conflict and by profession, which has led her to engage in wom- post-conflict countries, peace processes, crisis man- en’s rights issues both in Finland and Somalia. She agement and nation-building. She has taken part in is currently leading efforts to support women’s various multilateral negotiations within the frame- meaningful engagement in peacebuilding and politi- work of the United Nations, and has actively pro- cal decision-making in Somalia. Ms Essak has played moted the Women, Peace and Security agenda in prominent roles in the Advisory Board for Ethnic her leadership positions. She has served as the Am- Relations and the Honours Committee on Equali- bassador of Finland to Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Sey- ty in Finland and as elected member of Vantaa City chelles, Uganda and as Permanent Representative to Council in 2005-2008. She has received considera- the UN in Nairobi. Her prior positions also include ble recognition for her work for gender and social serving as Director of the Unit for European Com- equality. In 2016, Ms Essak was awarded the D&K- mon Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), as well as suomi Humanitarian Award for her work to raise in various other positions in Tel Aviv, Stockholm, awareness of international humanitarian priorities. Pristina and the UN Headquarters in New York.
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND ANNA-KAISA HEIKKINEN KIRSI HENRIKSSON Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen is Ambassador and Head of Kirsi Henriksson is Director of Crisis Management Mission at the Representative Office of Finland in Center (CMC) Finland, which is a governmental in- Ramallah, Palestine since 2017. Prior to her cur- stitution and a center of expertise in civilian crisis rent position, she served as the diplomatic advisor management. The main tasks of CMC Finland are to in international affairs for two Prime Ministers of train and recruit experts for international peace op- Finland. Her earlier responsibilities at the Ministry erations as well as to conduct research in the field. for Foreign Affairs include, among others, acting CMC Finland acts as a national head office for all as Deputy Head of unit for Russia, and postings in seconded Finnish peacebuilding professionals. Kirsi New Delhi, Moscow and Petrozavodsk. She joined Henriksson has been Head of the European Union the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2003 after sev- EUCAP Sahel Niger civilian crisis management mis- eral years of work in the field of communications. sion (2016-2018). Preceding that, Ms Henriksson Ambassador Heikkinen holds a Master’s degree in worked in Mali, Libya and Iraq. Before her current international relations from the University of Tam- and international posts, she worked as a researcher pere. She has authored a textbook of Hindi for Finn- and lecturer at the University of Tampere, namely at ish-speaking students. Tampere Peace Research Institute.
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND PIA HORTTANAINEN KIRSI JOENPOLVI Pia Horttanainen is Legal Counsellor at the Minis- Kirsi Joenpolvi is team leader at the Office of the try for Foreign Affairs of Finland and legal expert Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations. Pri- on development co-operation and humanitarian aid or to her current position, she worked for the UN related to fragile countries and conflict contexts. Mediation Support Unit in the Department of Po- The scope of work includes e.g. negotiation process- litical and Peacebuilding Affairs as a focal point for es related to international agreements. She has also technical advice to the UN’s mediation efforts at the served as Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in subnational and local levels and for enhancing me- Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to her current position, diation support capacities of regional organizations. she was Legal Officer at the Army Command Fin- Prior to joining the UN in 2015, Joenpolvi worked land in 2009-2013. She started her legal career at for the OSCE in Vienna and advised the Secre- private sector. Ms Horttanainen has vast experience tary-General on Ukraine. In 2007-2013, Joenpolvi also as lecturer and trainer. She holds Master’s de- headed the Africa Programme at CMI, supporting gree in Law (University of Lapland) and degree of peace processes in Liberia, Mali and South Sudan Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Mediation in and advising the African Union’s Peace and Security Peace Processes (ETH, Zurich). Department. Joenpolvi has also worked on conflict resolution and good governance in Timor-Leste, Af- ghanistan, Ethiopia and China. She is a certified and practicing community mediator in New York. Photo: Riku Isohella
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND TIINA JORTIKKA-LAITINEN PIRKKO-LIISA KYÖSTILÄ Tiina Jortikka-Laitinen is Ambassador of Finland Pirkko-Liisa Kyöstilä is Ambassador for Finland to to Spain and Andorra. She has previously served as Namibia and Angola. She is a diplomat with over Ambassador-at-Large for Euro-Mediterranean and 30 years of experience in international affairs. She MENA regions in 2015-2017, and as Ambassador of has expertise in peace processes, peace mediation, Finland to Tunisia and Libya in 2010-2013. She has particularly from Nepalese and Palestinian contexts, also served as Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for and is currently working on post-conflict recon- Ebola and as Ambassador for Countering Radicali- struction in Namibia and Angola. Prior to her cur- zation, Violent Extremism and Terrorism, as well as rent position, she has served as Ambassador of Fin- Director of the International Environmental Policy land to Palestine in Ramallah, as Director of the Unit and as Deputy Director of Civilian Crisis Manage- for Non-Governmental Organisations at the Minis- ment at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. try for Foreign Affairs, as Head of Mission at the Em- Since 2013, Ambassador Jortikka-Laitinen has been bassy of Finland in Nepal, and as Counsellor at the engaged in informal dialogue processes focusing on Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OECD in the MENA region, for example at the Helsinki Pol- Paris, among other roles. icy Forum. She has extensive experience of co-op- eration with women’s civil society organizations, particularly in the MENA region.
NORDIC WOMEN MEDIATORS FINLAND HANNA LEPISTÖ ANNE MESKANEN Hanna Lepistö is Mediation Support Adviser at the Anne Meskanen is a leading expert in the Depart- European Union External Action Service. Prior to ment for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry this position, she has been a career diplomat at the for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Most recently prior to Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, with several her current position, she served as Ambassador and years of experience working on security policy in Special Representative of Finland for Afghanistan the Middle East and Northern Africa regions, in- and as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Is- cluding on the Syrian conflict and related mediation sues and Gender Equality. Her career in diplomacy and peacebuilding support initiatives. She is finaliz- spans over twenty years, during which she has held ing a Master’s degree on Mediation in Peace process- positions as Chargée d’Affaires at the Embassy of es (2017-2019) at the Center of Security Studies at Finland in Kosovo, as Deputy Head of Mission at the ETH Zurich. Previously. Ms Lepistö has served in Embassy of Finland in Syria, and at the Mission of the Embassies of Finland in Paris, Santiago de Chile Finland to the United Nations in New York, among and in the Permanent Representation of Finland to others. Prior to her career in diplomacy, Ambassa- the European Union during the Finland’s EU presi- dor Meskanen worked as a journalist covering both dency in 2006. She holds a Master’s degree in Social domestic and international affairs. Sciences with a major in contemporary history.
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