Dashain party on Friday 19.10.
Warm welcome to Dashain party organised by Finland-Nepal Friendship Association on Friday, October 19 from 6 p.m. forwards. Programme includes acoustic guitar music, games, lottery and of course food and drinks. Some of the speakers of Development and democracy seminar (see below) held on the same day will be attending the party as well.
Venue: Brage's Assembly Hall, Kasarminkatu 28
Tickets: 10 e, students 5 e
Registration by October 15 to suomi-nepal@kaapeli.fi

Seminar on Friday 19.10.:
Democracy and development - the prospects of development through democracy in Nepal

19 October 2007, 13:00 -17:00
at Brage Festsal, Kasarmikatu 28, Helsinki

The democracy development in Nepal is again in serious troubles as the election of Constitutional Assembly has been postponed with no new date set. The seminar organised by Finland-Nepal Friendship Association will discuss about the difficulties of democracy process and its impact to the overall situation in Nepal. We like to highlight the process from different angles: politics, civil society, media, academia and also grass root level. In the end of the day the panel of the speakers will search ways out of the frequent political crisis.

The Programme

13:00
Matti Penttilä, Finland-Nepal Friendship Association: Introduction to the Current Situation of Nepal and the Objectives of the Seminar

13:15
Shyam Shrestha, Senior Leader of the Civil Society Movement of Nepal: The Civil Society Movement in the Democracy Process
See no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens'_Movement_for_Democracy_and_Peace (in Norwegian)

14:00
Marko Ulvila, Vice President, Democracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Civil Society Cooperation for Peace and Democracy
www.demokratiafoorumi.fi/ (in Finnish)

14:20
Juha Rekola, Union of Journalists in Finland, The Role of Independent Media in the Democracy Development in Nepal
www.vikes.fi , www.fnjnepal.org/mission2006_3.php

14:40
Tea break

15:00
Iikka Vehkalahti, Tuottaja, dokumenttiprojekti, YLE: Nepalese Way from Buddha to Mao
www.yle.fi/d-projekti/big_english.html

15:20
Anu Juvonen, Save the Children Finland: Grass Root Level Development, School Project in Sindhupalchowk
www.pelastakaalapset.fi/index.php?id=226 (in Finnish)

15:40
Eveliina Taipale, Demo ry: Strenghtening the voice of Nepalese Youth
www.demofinland.org/ohjelmat.nepal (in Finnish)

16:00
Lauri Siitonen, Masud Hossain: University of Helsinki: Development Co-operation for Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution: Scope and Potentials of Finland´s Development Co-operation in Nepal
www.valt.helsinki.fi/kmi/nepal.pdf

16:20
Panel discussion, all the speakers: The Way Forward

Picnic fun at Pikkukoski by river Vantaa

Members of Finland-Nepal Friendship Association with their friends had the picnic 18.8.2007 at Pikkukoski beach that has recently being renowated. Besides football, petanque, limbo and other games there was delicious nepalese food served. (photo: Sami Määttä).

World Village Festival 2007

It was busy by the Finland-Nepal Friendship Association's table at World Village Festival in Helsinki. Guests were interested in travelling to Nepal and asked about visas etc. In the picture on the left: Kirsti Kirjavainen behind the table (photo: Sami Määttä).

"Taju 2007 - idän taju"

Hyvinkää Art Museum and Taiteilijaseura have their summer exhibition 6.6.-26.8.2007 at Hämeenkatu 3D, Hyvinkää. The theme is the influence of cultures of the East on Finnish contemporary art since the 1960'ies. Trips to Nepal have inspired many of the 35 artists.

Pirkko-Liisa Kyöstilä as Chargé d'Affaires to Katmandu

Pirkko-Liisa Kyöstilä has been appointed as Head of Mission, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to Katmandu, Nepal as of 1 March, 2007. She is presently Counsellor at the Finnish Permanent Delegation to the OECD in Paris  where her duties include development cooperation, environmental issues, cooperation with non-members and sustainable development.

Kyöstilä joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1986 and has held various positions at the Department for International Development Cooperation as well as the Division for Multilateral Cooperation. She has been posted to the Finnish Embassies in Dar es Salaam and Rome.

She has previously been employed as an Associate Expert for the UN Industrial Development Organisation in Djakarta, Indonesia


Hannu Pesola's photo exhibition on the lifecycle of Nepalese human being

Professor Hannu Pesola's photo exhibition on the lifecycle of Nepalese human being is on view in the lobby of Biomedicum Helsinki in Meilahti, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki.

The exhibition photos are from his two visits to Nepal in 2001 and 2004.

For entrance, please inform at reception that you are going to see the photo exhibition. Entrance is free.


Annual meeting

Annual meeting 2007 was held on 28 March 2007 in the International Cultural Centre Caisa, Helsinki.

New board members with contact information can be found on Contact us page.


Crisis Management Initiative's workshop on conflict in Nepalin

President Martti Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) organised together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs workshop Towards Peace and Democracy in Nepal - Role of the Civil Society on 27 - 28 February in 2006 Helsinki, see CMI's news.


Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu

Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu has its Web service


Finland-Nepal Friendship Association's web addresses

Finland-Nepal Friendship Association has registered web addresses http://www.nepal.fi and http://www.suomi-nepal.fi. Both can be used as an access to the web site. The old address functions as well. Direct access to the English main page is by this link.


Nepalese visa

Enquiries on Nepal issues and visa applications should be addressed to the Royal Nepalese Embassy in London. Please, check the visa application regulations and fares in the Embassy.

More information: The Royal Nepalese Embassy in London

You can also apply visa on every land border of Nepal as well as at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

More information: Department of Immigration in Nepal