Newly accredited Ambassador of Finland to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Mikko Pyhälä on Tuesday pledged his country’s support in building the Region’s resilience to natural disasters through the development of technologies that could provide “real time data” of impending hurricanes and floods. He said Finland has plans to introduce automatic weather forecasting technology with internet-friendly applications in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, in an effort to build capacity for disaster preparedness.
The Ambassador said too, his country is interested in introducing flood forecasting technology in Guyana where the majority of the population is  concentrated on the coastline which is below sea level.
Guyana, the Ambassador pointed out, is a step ahead of the rest of CARICOM countries in that it already has available in digital form, calibrated existing weather and topographical data, the  only mode in which he said the information can be of relevance to CARICOM countries .
The Ambassador, who made the remarks at Presentation of Credentials ceremony at the CARICOM Secretariat headquarters, Liliendaal, added that Finland is  making “unprecedented efforts” to forge closer alliances with the Caribbean.
He noted that his country is willing to provide greater assistance in capacity building as well as equipment and software to advance developments in the area of meteorology.
“Weather services in the Caribbean have served air transport, but needs exist in agriculture, tourism, navigation, and in disaster prevention. There is need for precise and ‘real time’ information especially since hurricanes have become more frequent in island states,” the Ambassador said.
In an effort to build capacity for disaster preparedness, Finland has plans to introduce automatic weather forecasting technology with internet-friendly applications in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Pyhala said.
“If there was real time weather forecasting, the media and authorities can say, with precision, where hurricanes will hit and when.”
Also, Finland is in the process of aggregating useful satellite weather data but in order for it to have relevance to CARICOM countries it must be calibrated with existing weather and topographical data which are available in digitised form, mostly in Guyana, he added.
The Ambassador pointed out that with the majority of Guyana’s population concentrated on the coastline, which is below sea level, his country was interested in introducing flood forecasting technology here.
“Guyana, more than any other country in the Western Hemisphere, is at great risk for flooding ,and Finland has the technology which could help.”
Mr. Pyhälä said he would seek to discuss this possibility with international aids agencies and national authorities in Guyana towards its implementation.
Regarding cooperation in the education sector, he said his government is considering an offer to hold consultations in the Caribbean on best practices in education, given Finland’s successes in reading, calculus and science.
“We could tell of our experience,” he said adding that his country is also interested in fostering greater cultural exchanges through tourism.
With regard to support in the energy sector, Mr. Pyhälä said Finland wants to pursue an Environment Energy Partnership with CARICOM, similar to one which it has with the
Central American Integration System (SICA) that involves the implementation of “environmentally benign energy solutions.”

In respect of Finland’s support of efforts to protect the Caribbean Sea as a special marine environment, the Ambassador stated that his government will be facilitating an expert consultation on the governance of the Caribbean Sea, in collaboration with the Caribbean Sea Commission and the Association of Caribbean States from July 7 to 9 in Barbados.
Deputy Secretary-General, Lolita Applewhaite in accepting the  Letters of Credence on behalf of CARICOM Secretary-General, Edwin Carrington, said that the accreditation was “important and historic” and was viewed by the Community as a “significant step” in the deepening relations with Finland.
She said that given the country’s strategic position on the world stage, the Community is hopeful it would become a partner in the Region’s endeavour to bring substantive and substantial change to the global governance system, beginning with the governance of International Financial Institutions (IFIs),.
The need for IFIs to become more responsive to the needs of the CARICOM Member States is critical, Ambassador Applewhaite stated, as most of them are “highly indebted middle-income countries” and are among the nations “most severely affected by a financial and economic crisis not of their making.”
Those Member States have been additionally disadvantaged by their inability to access concessionary financing due to the process of graduation consequent on their classification as middle-income countries – a process which ignores their vulnerability, she added.
“We believe that it is imperative that the global financial and economic architecture – most notably the institutions which have traditionally taken decisions that influence the international economy – be thoroughly revamped and reformed to render them more relevant, transparent and participatory,” the Deputy Secretary-General stated.
Further, in attempting to have international decision-making bodies more responsive to the needs of the Region, Ambassador Applewhaite said it “must have a voice” in the institutions which take decisions that affect its economic viability.
“At present we speak only through the voices of our friends in fora to which they have access but we do not.  But in a world in pursuit of good governance, democracy and justice, this situation cannot be perpetuated. Change is necessary and we wish to partner with countries which will support our call for just that change,” she stated.
Noting that Finland is no stranger to CARICOM, Ambassador Applewhaite said that through its observer status in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), it has developed a knowledge of and familiarity with the countries of the Community.
As a member of the European Union (EU), the Deputy Secretary-General said Finland has been linked to the Region through the historical agreements that characterise EU-CARICOM relations, notably the successive Lomé Conventions, the subsequent  Cotonou Agreement and since 2008, the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Through these associations, she said that Finland has been exposed to some of the “inherent challenges of small vulnerable states with special circumstances and needs,” which she anticipated, would “no doubt” form the basis of a “meaningful and substantive relationship.”
Ambassador Applewhaite noted that in addition to Finland’s pledge – in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York – to contribute to the CARICOM Development Fund in September 2009, the Community is looking forward to deeper cooperation in other sustainable development efforts including the redevelopment of Haiti; environmental sustainability and climate change; critical areas of renewable energy, maritime transport and port development.
With regard to Haiti, she said CARICOM is “happy to note” Finland’s contribution to the World Bank’s recent decision to cancel outstanding debt owed by Haiti as part of its effort to contribute towards the earthquake ravaged country’s recovery.