|
Multicultural City
Helsinki has been a multicultural city since her founding days. Today, the foreigners in Helsinki represent 145 different nationalities. At the turn of the year 1999/2000, 4,7 % of the Helsinki population held another nationality than Finnish.The number of foreign nationals in Helsinki today is 26 000, which is three times as many as in the early 1990s.
Further information of foreigners in Helsinki on City of Helsinki Urban Facts pages.
Caisa International Cultural centre is the meeting-point in our multicultural city.
The city library offers literature and other services in several different languages on Multicultural Library pages, i.a.
The City Educational Department offer to immigrants voluntary instruction in their mother tongue. Further information at the Educational Dept., tel. 3108 6215.
International Cooperation and Marketing
Helsinki is a member of numerous international cultural, touristic etc. organizations and a partner to many projects of the European Community, for example the association of European metropolitan cities, Eurocities. Helsinki is also a member of Energie-Cités, an association of European municipalities promoting a local sustainable energy policy.
Eurocities is the association of European metropolitan cities. It currently represents 97 cities from 26 European countries. The network aims to improve the quality of life of Europeans living in cities and urban areas by influencing the European agenda, and promoting the exchange of experience and best practise between city governments.
Membership of Eurocities is open to democratilly elected city governments and their economic and scientific partners. Cities should have a minimum population of 250 000, whereas other criteria, such as the international profile of the city and its regional importance are also taken into account.
More information about Eurocities.
Baltic Sea regional cooperation is among the priorities of the international activities of Helsinki. Cooperation takes place through various regional organisations, like Helsinki-Tallinn Euregio and Union of the Baltic Cities, and through bilateral cooperation, especially with Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Various departments of the City of Helsinki are active in Baltic Sea cooperation, which is coordinated at the City Office by Deputy Mayor Pekka Korpinen.
Helsinki is marketing herself as an internationally optimal tourist attraction and investment object. In the City Office, the following departments participate in the international operations and marketing: the Tourist & Convention Bureau, the Business Development Unit, the Information Bureau and the Mayor's Office. Further enquiries at the City Office, tel. 1691.
The different departments and offices are internationally very active in their own fields of operations.
The international affairs page of the Social Services Department.
Helsinki Today - Policy Priorities for an International City
In September 1994 Helsinki City Council approved the city's first ever internationalization strategy, beginning a process which has borne fruit in the memorandum "Helsinki Today - Policy Priorities for an International City", approved by the City Board in 1999. The memorandum describes Helsinki's international operating environment, sets the target for the city's international position, and defines the main areas and priorities in its international activities.
|
