Koli Theses Point the Way for European Decision-Makers

A group of European decision-makers will meet in the Koli National Park in Eastern Finland at the end of October to discuss the sustainable use of natural resources, within the framework of the Koli Forum. In particular, the Forum will tackle issues of energy and climate change mitigation and the competitiveness of Europe in this area. Among the most renowned speakers and participants are former Swedish Prime Minister Gцran Persson and Nobel Prize Laureate, President Martti Ahtisaari.

"The Forum will look far into the future, beyond the current economic downturn," says Pekka Hallberg, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland and Chairman of the Koli Forum Advisory Board.

"The Forum aims to generate new ideas and concepts to support European decision-making," explains Timo Karjalainen, Professor of International Forestry at the Finnish Forest Research Institute and Secretary General of the first Koli Forum.

"The event's key messages will be formulated in the so-called 'Theses of Koli', addressing the European decision-makers who shape our common future," says Karjalainen.

With the Theses, Koli Forum aims to contribute to decision-making processes taking place in Europe and around the world. Among the first platforms to be addressed are the United Nations' Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December and the Swedish Presidency of the European Union. Through the invited participants, the Koli Forum has good links to both.

Guests from around the world

The Koli Forum differs from other European high-level forums in that it brings together a small number of eminent invited leaders from the spheres of business, science, politics and other areas of society.

Interesting speakers have been invited from Europe and other continents. Keynote speakers include Karl-Gueran Mueler, Professor of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Loretta Dormal-Marino, Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development; Jorma Ollila, Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell and Nokia; and Odin Knudsen, Strategic Advisor of JPMorgan Chase in Washington.

"The Forum has aroused great interest among the speakers invited. While some of those invited were unable to fit the Forum into their schedules, the majority of those we wished to invite have been able to accept," says Timo Karjalainen, Secretary General of the Koli Forum.

Koli - an ideal setting for an international summit

This is the first Forum hosted by Koli for invited European leaders, but it is to be the forerunner of a series of biennial summits.

"Koli provides a peaceful and inspiring setting in which to discuss the search for new solutions to the key challenges for humanity," says Pentti Hyttinen, Executive Director of the Regional Council of North Karelia and Chairman of the Koli Forum Steering Group. Those responsible for content production for the Forum, which makes use of interactive working methods, are the European Forest Institute, the University of Joensuu Forest Foresight Unit and the Finnish Forest Research Institute.

The Forum planning and realisation sponsors are the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education, the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, the Finnish Forest Foundation, Josek Oy and the Regional Council of North Karelia. The Finnish Forest Research Institute acts as the Koli Forum 2009 Secretariat-General.

For further information please contact:
the Secretary General of Koli Forum 2009,
Professor Timo Karjalainen, Finnish Forest
Research Institute, Tel. +358 (0)10 211 3080,
timo.karjalainen@koliforum.fi
www.koliforum.fi