A meeting between the Finnish delegation led by President Tarja Halonen that visited the Kingdom recently and a group of businessmen and women at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry had an unusual balance.
Instead of concentrating on the expected commercial issues the meeting focused on only three elements: Education, social justice and eradicating corruption were evident in all speeches given by JCCI members as well as the Finnish delegates who answered questions addressed to them regarding the elements that contributed in Finland’s development.
It was unusual because a meeting that has a commercial side to it should have tackled issues that include investment opportunities, real estate projects and attracting foreign investment. The Finnish delegation was generous enough to present a prescription for development and advancement that was based on solid experience.
According to a study published by the Reader’s Digest, Finland was ranked as the planet’s greenest and most livable place for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant diseases, and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters.
Finland is also ranked world No. 1 because of its educational system. Education is free of charge for citizens and expatriates living there. Poverty has been eradicated so that even the unemployed have monthly income in addition to medical insurance, housing allowance and education. There are neither residential problems in Finland nor spinsterhood crisis. Every adult is given a property to live in with the cost of its furnishings.
It seems odd to find Finland top-ranked in many fields especially as it doesn’t have vast natural or energy resources. It also is not a tourist attraction because of its very cold weather and its language. Yet, it managed to rank itself at the top because of its investment in people; Finland proved practically that it is the one investment that enables a country to surpass others that are larger and richer.
Apparently, what Finland offers to her residents isn’t just for fun. It’s an accurate equation that obliges people to take in order to give back. The Finnish government is determined to give every individual living in the country — regardless of financial state, color, race, ethnicity or language — privileges such as free education, health insurance, transportation and educational requirements because it knows that success will never happen and goals are never attained without qualified and well-educated human beings.
It was difficult to locate Finland in the past. Today, the small area became highly visible because of its social system and accomplishments. It created a new status for itself with distinctive attributes of development and civilization.
