New Permanent Representative of Finland Presents Credentials

The new Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations, Janne Taalas, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

(As provided by the Permanent Mission of Finland)

Ambassador Janne Taalas has been the Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations in New York since November 2026.

Mr. Taalas is a career diplomat with 30 years of experience in multilateral diplomacy and peace mediation.  He chaired the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly during its sixty-eighth session and served as Special Envoy for the 2020 Afghanistan Conference, co-hosted by Finland and the United Nations.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Taalas was Chief Executive Officer of CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation (2021–2026), where he led the organization’s conflict mediation and dialogue work.  He previously served as Finland’s Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy (2019–2021), Ambassador to Italy, Malta and San Marino (2015–2019), and Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations in New York (2010–2015).  In the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, he has held a range of senior positions, including Director for Policy Planning (2008–2010) and Deputy Head of the OSCE Chairmanship Task Force (2007–2008).

Mr. Taalas holds a DPhil in Politics (2000) and an MPhil in European Politics and Society (1995) from the University of Oxford (St Antony’s College), as well as a Master of Social Sciences and a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Jyväskylä (1991).

Mr. Taalas is married with two children.  He enjoys hiking, going to the gym, reading and modern art.

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* This supersedes Press Release BIO/4541 of 2 October 2013.