Elina Valtonen MP delivers 10th Harri Holkeri Lecture at Â鶹ÒùÔº
We were delighted to welcome Elina Valtonen MP, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Finland, to Queen’s University Belfast to deliver the 10th Harri Holkeri Lecture on 3 March 2025.
The Harri Holkeri Lecture Series is organised and hosted by the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and the Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Directorate at Queen’s, in partnership with the Embassy of Finland, with His Excellency Jukka Siukosaari, Ambassador of Finland to the UK, in attendance.
The Lecture Series recognises and celebrates the contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process of the late Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri. Holkeri’s aspiration to transform conflict and promote social justice in Northern Ireland and across the world is shared by the Mitchell Institute.
In her Lecture, entitled: ‘Peace Mediation in the Age of Geopolitical Contestation,’ Minister Valtonen explored the key principles, including fairness and inclusivity, that should undermine efforts to achieve sustainable peace.
She reflected on the lessons from the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and applied the lessons from global experiences of peacebuilding to the efforts to end the war in Ukraine, emphasising the importance of Ukrainians having the right to determine their own future and ensure the long-term security of Ukraine and Europe.
This event was introduced by Tina McKenzie, Honorary Consul to Finland in Belfast and chaired by Professor Richard English, Mitchell Institute Director.
Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s said:
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Valtonen to deliver the 10th Harri Holkeri lecture at Queen’s. This Lecture Series reflects the University’s commitment to global peace and honours the legacy of the late former Finnish Prime Minister and statesman, Harri Holkeri.
“Minister Valtonen’s thought-provoking lecture serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of dialogue and mediation in the pursuit of sustainable peace, and the critical role we all can play in shaping a more just and secure world for future generations.”
Commenting on the event, Mitchell Institute Director, Professor Richard English said:
“The Mitchell Institute was delighted to host Minister Valtonen, whose very thoughtful and insightful Lecture offered many points of timely significance.”
Previous Harri Holkeri Lectures include:
9th Harri Holkeri Lecture
6 June 2024
Pekka Haavisto MP
The New European Security: Lesson’s Learned from Finland’s Road to NATO
8th Harri Holkeri Lecture
24 April 2023
Dr Anne Anderson
Perspective; Conscience; Integrity: Reflections From a Career in Diplomacy
7th Harri Holkeri Lecture
21 May 2019
Bertie Ahern
Peace Process - In Light of Brexit Issues
6th Harri Holkeri Lecture
29 May 2018
President Michael D. Higgins
Remembering, Forgiving, Forgetting and Imagining
5th Harri Holkeri Lecture
9 May 2017
Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland
Reflections on Women and Peace-building
4th Harri Holkeri Lecture
23 May 2016
Arlene Foster, Former First Minister of Northern Ireland
Women, Leadership and Peace-building
3rd Harri Holkeri Lecture
22 April 2015
Senator George J. Mitchell
Reflections on Brokering Peace in Divided Societies
2nd Harri Holkeri Lecture
29 May 2014
Ambassador Akbar S. Ahmed
Islam, Peace-building and Conflict Transformation
1st Harri Holkeri Lecture
21 May 2013
Martti Ahtisaari, Former President of Finland
Egalitarianism in Conflict Resolution