Institute for Public Affairs (IVO), the Embassy of Finland, and the development partnership “Plus for Women 45+” carried out a seminar Finland – a Country that Cares about Its Human Potential. The seminar was organized on behalf of Finland’s EU Presidency. Featured speakers were Prof. Juhani Ilmarinen and Prof. Kaisa Kauppinen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki.
Among the participants of the seminar were foreign diplomats, representatives of central Slovak authorities and elected Slovak officials, NGO activists, representatives of academia, media, and students.
The seminar was opened by H.E. Rauno Viemerö, Ambassador of Finland to Slovakia, who was followed by Mr. László Nagy, Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Minorities and the Status of Women of the Slovak parliament, and Zora Bútorová, the leader of the development partnership “Plus for Women 45+” (IVO).
Juhani Ilmarinen presented his ideas on Ageing in Finland and Promotion of Work Ability and Employment. Mr. Ilmarinen is Europe-known due to his longitudinal studies on ageing and work; the development of Work Ability Index, the studies on promotion of work ability during ageing, on age management, and on age strategies. He is the author of numerous publications in the fields of work physiology, ergonomics, epidemiology, work ability and ageing. The last of his six books appeared in 2006 under the title Towards a Longer Worklife. Ageing and the Quality of Worklife in the European Union.
Kaisa Kauppinen shared with the audience her views on the Finnish Experience with Equal Opportunities and Gender Equality.
Mrs. Kauppinen is the director of the “Work/Life balance” research and development at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the director of MONIKKO – a project that generates new information regarding gender equality and diversity at work (www.monikko.net ). She is the author and editor of numerous scientific studies and books where she deals with issues of gender equality, women’s working conditions and health, work/life balance of women and men, employment in social care, etc.
The program of the Finnish experts continued on November 16 with a seminar Gender mainstreaming and equality planning in Finland: good practices and lessons learnt. This event was organized by EsFem, one of the organizations within the partnership “Plus for Women 45+”. Among the participants were members of the Committee for Equal Opportunities of Slovak trade unions, journalists, and representatives of women’s NGOs. The morning was dedicated to the presentations of Juhani Ilmarinen and Kaisa Kauppinen. During the whole afternoon, the floor belonged to Sinikka Mustakallio, a prominent expert in equality planning and the head of the organization World of Management, Helsinki: Together with her two Slovak co-trainers, Adriana Mesochoritisová and Monika Bosá from EsFem, she shared her ideas about gender mainstreaming and equality planning in work organizations.
The visit of the Finish experts in Bratislava was a part of the cooperation of the Slovak team „Plus for Women 45+“ and the Finnish team MONIKKO within the EQUAL transnational partnership European Gender Equality and Diversity Network funded by European Social Fund.
The seminar was opened by H. E. Rauno Viemerö, Ambassador of Finland to Slovakia, followed by Mr. László Nagy, Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Minorities and the Status of Women of the Slovak parliament, and Zora Bútorová, the leader of the development partnership “Plus for Women 45+” (IVO).
Finnish experts listening to Mr. Nagy’s introductory remarks. From the right: Juhani Ilmarinen, Kaisa Kauppinen, and Sinikka Mustakallio.
Prof. Juhani Ilmarinen presents strategies leading towards a Longer Worklife.
Prof. Kauppinen outlined the interconnection between Finnish women’s political participation and the current state of human development in Finland.
The audience appreciated the insight of both speakers.
Fins and Slovaks share satisfaction after the seminar. From the right: Grigorij Mesežnikov, the President of the Institute for Public Affairs, Sinikka Mustakallio, the head of the World of Management, Helsinki, Zora Bútorová (IVO), H. E. Rauno Viemerö, Finnish Ambassador to Slovakia, Prof. Kaisa Kauppinen (FIOH, Helsinki), Oľga Gyárfášová (IVO), and Prof. Juhani Ilmarinen (FIOH, Helsinki).
The opening of the seminar “Gender mainstreaming and equality planning in Finland: good practices and lessons learnt” organized by the EsFem. From the left: Lucia Klačanská (EsFem), Adriana Mesochoritisová (EsFem), Juhani Ilmarinen, Zora Bútorová, and Sinikka Mustakallio.
Sinikka Mustakallio during her interview for the Slovak Radio.
Bratislava from the top of the Michalska tower is worth of climbing up many steps. From the left: Sinikka Mustakallio, Zora Bútorová, and Kaisa Kauppinen.
