07.01.2023
Speech by Mari-Leena Talvitie, President of the Regional Regional Assembly, at the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region's Epiphany Reception on 6 January 2023
Dear Ministers and Regional Assemblylors,
municipal representatives and partners
Valuable young people, women and men
On my own behalf and on behalf of the Regional Regional Assembly, I am pleased to welcome you all here to the Regional Regional Assembly's Student Reception. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region was founded in Oulu on 6 January 1931, 92 years ago. It's nice to be together after a few years.
Together in cooperation with the Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Regional Regional Assembly celebrated its 90th anniversary by highlighting civilisation and its importance to our region. The jubilee year included, among other things, a series of remote lectures and other presentations of science or art, rewards.
For more than 90 years, the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region has acted as a guardian of the interests of our region, as a regional developer and funding authority, as a regional planner and as a builder of cooperation in cooperation with many partners.
In those 90 years, there has been great change, the continuous development of society and education, the rise of civilisation, culture, science and the economy, and the building of the well-being of Finns - unfortunately even wars.
For the next few years and decades, we as the Regional Regional Assembly have prepared ourselves by, for example, working on the regional programme and setting common goals. – both for the next 2025 and for decades, up to 2040. The strategic agendas were created on the basis of extensive stakeholder preparation and they were approved by the regional Regional Assembly just over a year ago. In addition to the goals, we also put together ways to achieve the goals. Now is the time for implementation, also taking into account the continuous change taking place in our business environment.
Last February, Russia launched an eyeless brutality war of aggression against Ukraine and Europe as a whole. Its effects are reflected in the new foreign and security policy situation and also in Finland's positioning, of course also in the region's activities as the end of border cooperation. The ratification of Finland's NATO membership is on the way.
In terms of self-sufficiency, security of supply, energy transition and new routes, the attention of the national level must be turned here to the north. Our common goal is to have Finland's Northern Programme in the next Government Programme, which the Government will compile and which Finland will start implementing together in cooperation with its partners.
In the North, we are building the future. Our common value base is built on courage, trust and equality. An active, good and functional everyday life of the people living here has been put at the forefront of the success fstakeholders of the area. The well-being of people in Northern Ostrobothnia - children, young people and families, students, employees and applicants, entrepreneurs and seniors - is created in the everyday environment.
Sustainable operations and vitality are created by investing in well-being. Important fstakeholders in this are culture, exercise and people's opportunities to participate in the activities of a village community, a sports club or to move around in the diverse nature of our area.
We want to be a region of regional strengths and opportunities. The key fstakeholders in this are the accessibility of our region by land, rail, sea and air, and the associated joint advocacy of the North.
In the Oulu region, investments in research, development and innovation (RDI) are higher than in the rest of Finland. In fact, this is the only region where RDI spending exceeds 4% of GDP and is largely business-driven. For this to continue, it is important that our education and skills pathways work.
For the years of people, education and training providers, companies, business and tourism, it is important that we are also internationally attractive and successful, and that we grow sustainably. We need reform and entrepreneurship.
in cooperation with emission-free energy, we are building the competitiveness of the region and the Finnish economy as a whole. For example, nearly 40 per cent of Finland's total wind power production is currently produced in Northern Ostrobothnia. Of course, we also need other emission-free energy.
In terms of the vitality of the area, in addition to well-being, know-how, employment and the renewal of the businesses, the aim is to mitigate climate change and safeguard biodiversity. In the regional programme, we describe how the priorities are implemented using the starting points and strengths of our region.
No matter how good our regional programme is, it is not enough on its own, but its implementation and success depend on us people and our common will, our ability to coserve as. We need people and community. That's why we brought happy and active people to the top of the regional programmes. In the coming months, we will also elect a new regional director for the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. In this context, I would like to thank Pauli Harju, Regional Director, who has been piloting for 15 years.
A sense of community and the spiritual support it brings are needed in this time. This is especially true after the heavy COVID-19 times and restrictions, but also because Russia's infinitely brutal war of aggression is causing not only enormous human suffering, but also an energy crisis and various economic and social worries in people's everyday lives.
We need to do small and big things to strengthen humanity and democracy, to support freedom and responsibility, security and the functioning of the rule of law. These also highlight the importance of the local area and its surroundings.
Let us remember the impact that the kindness and empathy, support and help of another person can have – small or large. Especially here in our region, it is important to remember the power of the surrounding nature, its contribution and its beauty, as well as their impact on our well-being.
We need technology for many futures.The solutions. Yet – and partly because of my technical training background – I dare say that at the same time we must be careful not to give technology the role of host in our daily lives and work. People feel well when technology helps and solves everyday problems and global challenges and makes it an integral part of their actions.
End the Arabic saying for all of us this year. ‘Every word should pass through three gates before it is spoken out. The first gatekeeper asks: Is it true? At the next gate you will be asked: Whether it is necessary and in the third: Is it friendly? If the answer is yes to all, then it should come out.
in cooperation with these words, I wish you all a good start to the year and welcome to the Epiphany reception. The well-being of the future will be built today!
