COPENHAGEN, 21 May 2014 – The Finnish Institute of International Affairs has joined the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Helsinki +40 Project, an initiative that will bring together security and human rights experts, politicians and academia to evaluate the OSCE's past and chart concrete lines of action for the future. The Project marks the 40th anniversary of the OSCE's founding document, the Helsinki Final Act.

Consisting of seminars at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in Moscow; the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Washington; and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Stockholm, the Project will culminate in a final Colloquium organized by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. The Colloquium will be held in July 2015, in parallel with the 24th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. 

OSCE PA Vice-President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland), who serves as the Helsinki +40 Project's co-chair, today said: "I believe in the value of this project for the future of the OSCE and am happy to see the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, headed by Dr. Teija Tiilikainen, join it. On behalf of my colleagues in the Finnish Parliament, we look forward to hosting the Helsinki +40 Final Colloquium and wish this ambitious endeavor all success."

A renowned international relations research institute with a history of more than 50 years, the FIIA works closely with the Parliament of Finland as well as with leading national and international experts, focusing primarily on issues related to greater Europe. The institute's governing board includes influential politicians and diplomats, including Dr. Kimmo Kiljunen, a former member of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE PA Special Representative for Central Asia.

The first OSCE PA Helsinki +40 seminar will take place at the RIAC in Moscow on 25 September. Events at the GMF in Washington and SIPRI in Stockholm will follow in November 2014 and March 2015, respectively.