Finland’s development minister on the impact of far-right parties on aid

<a class="spreaker-player" href="https://www.spreaker.com/episode/finland-s-development-minister-on-the-impact-of-far-right-parties-on-aid--64227992" data-resource="episode_id=64227992" data-width="100%" data-height="200px" data-theme="light" data-playlist="false" data-playlist-continuous="false" data-chapters-image="true" data-episode-image-position="right" data-hide-logo="true" data-hide-likes="false" data-hide-comments="false" data-hide-sharing="false" data-hide-download="true">Listen to "Finland’s development minister on the impact of far-right parties on aid" on Spreaker.<script async src="https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js"></script></a> Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, YouTube, or search “Devex” in your favorite podcast app. Ville Tavio, Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development, is a member of the Finns Party — formerly known as the True Finns, a right-wing, nationalist, anti-immigrant political party that has risen to become the second largest in Parliament. The party — which he said could be described “somewhat like a Finland First party,” drawing a parallel to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy — has influenced the country’s stance on development aid and multilateral engagement. Amid the rise of conservative movements across Europe and the United States, he argues that social media amplifies divisions across political lines, overshadowing the shared values and common ground that often exist in Western societies. Tavio acknowledged that some conservatives perceive development and multilateral organizations as being more aligned with their political opponents, and urged these organizations to actively engage with conservative perspectives to find areas of alignment and foster collaboration. “I can say this as a conservative politician myself, we are trying to build bridges instead of burning them,” Tavio told Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar during a special episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast from the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings in Davos, Switzerland. Tavio highlighted Finland’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and development aid, despite budget cuts due to deficits. He stressed the importance of private sector involvement in development, using Finland’s own industrialization as a model. Tavio addressed concerns about the impact of conservative political trends on global development, saying there’s a need to separate rhetoric from reality. As a small country, Finland is a strong believer in multilateral cooperation, he added, even as it prioritizes national interests. “Western countries need each other, but we need everyone in the world as well,” Tavio said. Tavio said Finland’s cuts to foreign aid are driven by budget deficits, not because of conservative hostility toward international cooperation. Still, as Devex has reported, donor countries across Europe are shrinking their aid spending, due in part to the rise of far-right parties like the Finns Party. Tavio discussed the need for cuts, alongside humanitarian and development needs, including in Ukraine, which he called Finland’s priority. Many organizations must concentrate on doing a “better job with less funds,” he said. Tavio also advocated for increased private sector involvement in development projects, drawing parallels to Finland’s own history of industrialization, and pointing to Finland’s shipbuilding industry as an example of how targeted investments can support long-term growth. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.