The Board of Finn Church Aid decided on Wednesday that FCA will continue as the secretariat for the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers for the next three years, following the request from the network’s core group. The network was started on the initiative of the UN two years ago.

“Right now, there are a lot of expectations on developing the peace mediation role of religious and traditional leaders, and a lot of it is being personified in FCA. We have an opportunity to create something new and far reaching in this field, but it requires commitment and new resources”, Antti Pentikäinen, the Executive Director of FCA, says.

The secretariat will remain within the administration of FCA, but it will have its own identity. Getting Muslim leaders involved as equal is especially important according to Pentikäinen. For these negotiations, FCA will ask for support and involvement of its main contributor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Finn Church Aid has received support for the Network from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry has agreed to finance the project for the next three years. FCA has used both financial and human resources for the Network. Aaro Rytkönen will function as the director of the Networks’ secretariat.

For more information:
Antti Pentikäinen, Executive Director, FCA, tel. +358 40 531 351
Aaro Rytkönen, Director, the secretariat for the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, tel. +358 50 301 8479