We would like to extend a warm thank you to all the parliamentary parties, politicians and our partners, colleagues and friends in Finland and around the globe for an excellent year!
This past year was busy and full of twists and turns, but it was also very rewarding. We organized discussions on the state of democracy at the World Village -festival, and at SuomiAreena. Together with the Parliament we arranged the International Day of Democracy seminar and continued our work to strengthen women’s political participation in Zambia and also in Finland. We supported peer-learning in Mozambique and multi-party co-operation in Myanmar and Tunisia and actively took part in discussions on the importance of democracy support both in Finland and at the EU level. We look forward to next year and it’s exciting challenges – a spring of elections as well as Finland’s EU Presidency will surely bring just that!
With greetings from the Chair of Demo’s Board, MP Päivi Räsänen, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year:
“Last Christmas was spent in great company in our home. Almost 40 people, from my grandmother to babies of relatives gathered together to celebrate, and in addition to my immediate family on Christmas Day we hosted twenty asylum seekers from Afghanistan. Christmas is about coming together, which on the other hand might bring up painful experiences of loneliness. At the core of the Christmas message is the newborn: “And while they were there, it came time for the child to be born”. The newborn makes us stop at the basics of life: he lives from the most important things, family, taking care of one another, love.
I am grateful that I have the chance to be a part of this hard-working team of professionals. As Demo Finland’s relatively new Chair, I grow more and more convinced of the value and impact of Demo’s work. I wish to thank all of Demo’s team for this year, and all of our partners for fruitful co-operation.
I hope you will have a wonderful, relaxing Christmas focusing on the most important things in life. Next year we will continue working for democracy with our batteries full!
I wish You a very Merry Christmas!”
Päivi Räsänen (Christian Democrats)
Chair of Demo Finland
and the Demo Team
Demo’s office will be closed between 22.12.2018 – 7.1.2019.