Major milestones in the career of Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Ahtisaari, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Namibia, inspects a contingent of United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) police monitors from India at their base east of Rundu in the Caprivi Strip in April 1989. Photo: UN/Milton Grant
1989–1990: Independence of Namibia
As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Namibia from 1989-1990, Ahtisaari played a special role in Namibia’s independence from South Africa. Namibia was Ahtisaari’s first peace mediation assignment. He was involved with Namibia for a total of 14 years.
U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (left), Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari (2nd from left), and Russian Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev (2nd from right) meet in Helsinki, Finland, on June 17, 1999. The men are discussing Russia’s participation in the peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo. Photo: U.S. Department of Defense
1994–2000: President of Finland
Ahtisaari was the first President in Finland to be elected by direct popular vote. During his presidency, Finland joined the European Union and unemployment declined significantly from the high rate of the recession of the beginning of the 1990s.
In 1997, at Ahtisaari’s initiative, Finland hosted the summit meeting between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and US President Bill Clinton. The subject of the meeting was NATO’s enlargement to the Baltic states.
At the end of his presidential term, in 1999, Ahtisaari, former Russian Prime Minister and Special Envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin, and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott negotiated a peace agreement that led to the withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo.
Martti Ahtisaari and Cyril Ramaphosa in Helsinki in 2000.
2000: Inspection of IRA weapons caches
Ahtisaari, together with the South African statesman Cyril Ramaphosa, acted as weapons inspector concerning weapons caches of the Irish Republican Army. The inspectors played a central role in enabling the Northern Ireland peace process – the Good Friday Agreement.
Martti Ahtisaari and CMI’s staff in 2014. Photo: Tomas Whitehouse.
2000: Foundation of the conflict resolution organisation CMI
Following his term as President, Ahtisaari founded the conflict resolution organisation the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). Ahtisaari wanted his legacy to be continued by an organisation able to address the root causes of the conflicts as effectively as possible. Within 20 years, CMI has become one of the world’s leading conflict resolution organisations.
The Aceh peace accord was signed by the Minister of Justice of the Government of Indonesia Hamid Awalud and the leader of the delegation of the Free Aceh movement Malik Mahmud and was witnessed by President Ahtisaari. Photo: Jenni-Justiina Niemi.
2005: Aceh peace agreement
Ahtisaari and CMI acted as mediator in the peace talks between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement. The peace accord ended nearly three decades of violence, and the province of Aceh attained special autonomy. The peace process has laid the foundations for positive economic development. Poverty and unemployment in Aceh have fallen markedly.
Ahtisaari was involved in CMI’s Aceh peace process implementation follow-up project of 2010-2012. He has also played an important role as advisor and door opener in several other CMI projects.
2005–2008: Negotiations on the status of Kosovo
Ahtisaari was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy in the negotiations on the status of Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2008. Photo: Hannu Lindroos.
2008: Nobel Peace Prize
Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2008 “for his great efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”.
President Ahtisaari visits a school in Helsinki in 2012. Photo: Saila Huusko.
2011: Ahtisaari Days
The purpose of the nationwide Ahtisaari Days is to make peace mediation a part of the everyday life of young people in Finland. During the Ahtisaari Days, Finnish secondary schools and high schools learn about mediation, practice negotiations, and learn the skills needed to resolve conflicts. At the request of President Ahtisaari, CMI is the main organiser of the events.
The Ahtisaari Days have been held since 2011 and President Ahtisaari himself participated in them on nine occasions. Ahtisaari emphasises the role of equal education and young people in achieving social stability. The two come together in the Ahtisaari Days, an initiative that is very dear to the President.