A petition submitted to Parliament on 7 November 2023 proposed that the Finnish State make a significant donation to the Peace Fund of CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation.
Signatories of the petition and the Chairpersons of all parliamentary groups. Photo: Maria Santto/CMI.
A petition to appeal for a significant donation to the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Fund was submitted to the Chairpersons of all Finland’s parliamentary groups. The petition, submitted by a group of individuals led by Sari Baldauf, was received by Matias Marttinen, chair of the National Coalition Party, on behalf of all parliamentary groups.
Established in December 2022, the Peace Fund aims to raise €30 million to safeguard CMI’s peace mediation work. The signatories of the petition stress that President Martti Ahtisaari’s legacy is a national asset, the continuity of which is the collective responsibility of the Finnish people.
CMI, which Martti Ahtisaari founded, is increasingly needed for conflict resolution. In the 20 years since it was established, CMI has become one of the world’s leading peace mediation organisations. The petition emphasizes that Finland’s profile in peace mediation must also be maintained as a member of NATO.
The funds collected in the Peace Fund are invested at a reasonable rate of return. It is estimated that the fund’s returns will cover up to a tenth of CMI’s annual budget.
On the cover of the petition is a photograph of President Ahtisaari’s hands.
“Securing the legacy of President Ahtisaari is more relevant today than ever. We would like to start a mass movement as never in our lifetime has there been this much need for peace building,” said Baldauf. All the signatories have made a donation to the Peace Fund, added Baldauf.
Matias Marttinen, Chair of National Coalition Party parliamentary group expressed his warm thanks to the delegation for approaching the parliament with the initiative. He said that the cause unites all parliamentary groups. ”It is not a question of opposition and government since it unites us all. We will discuss the matter and then communicate about the next steps”.
The petition was signed by Sari Baldauf, Matti Alahuhta, Sirkka Hämäläinen, Eero Huovinen, Kari Raivio, Marko Ahtisaari, Jyri Häkämies, Jarkko Eloranta, Pekka Ala-Pietilä, Elina Vähälä, Timo Ahopelto and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In addition to the group, 30 Finnish influential persons have publicly expressed their support for the petition. These persons are:
Thomas Ahlström
Maria Ahlström-Bondestam
Laura Arikka
Antti Arjava
Mikael Aro
Anne Berner
Stefan Björkman
Kaisamari Hintikka
Mika Ihamuotila
Pertti Karjalainen
Ilpo Kokkila
Yrjö Kopra
Gunvor Kronman
Miki Kuusi
Timur Kärki
Teemu Laajasalo
Mari Leppänen
Maria Löfgren
Marjo Miettinen
Arto Mäenmaa
Esa Niemi
Mikko Nieminen
Antti Palola
Kristina Pentti-von Walzel
Reetta Rajala
Juha Rantanen
Kai Seikku
Vladimira Therman
Topi Tiitola
Kim Väisänen
Further information:
Antti Ämmälä, Head of Communications, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation antti.ammala@cmi.fi, tel. +358 40 358 30 84
Riikka Kämppi, Senior Advisor, Public Relations, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation riikka.kamppi@cmi.fi, tel. +358 40 572 9733