Juho Saari to produce policy recommendations for the prevention of inequality after Covid-19

The first phase of the work will examine how to prepare for the post-crisis period from the point of view of internal security and how to prevent any increase in inequality and insecurity. The second part will strengthen the analysis conducted in the first phase and produce information on the status and role of marginalised groups to support the preparation of the Government’s internal security report.

According to Saari, special care must now be taken to ensure the safety and living conditions of vulnerable groups in the years to come.

“This requires a reallocation of resources and increased effectiveness. The key is to carry out reforms based on combining research results and the experiences gained in service production over the years,” Saari says.

The first-stage policy recommendations should be completed by 5 June and the final report should be ready by 30 November 2020. Internal security rapporteur Saari will also provide expert support to the Ministry of the Interior in matters related to the implementation and interpretation of his report until 31 December 2020.

“The COVID-19 crisis has touched us all, but not in the same way.  We must pay particular attention to the most vulnerable people in society and find ways in which the administrative branch of the Ministry of the Interior can contribute to preventing and reducing inequality, insecurity and the growing sense of insecurity,” says Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo.

Saari continues to work as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences during his duties as a rapporteur.

The assignment is based on the Government Programme

Prime Minister Marin's Government Programme Inclusive and Competent Finland – a Socially, Economically and Ecologically Sustainable Society and the Government Action Plan decided to draw up a comprehensive, cross-sectoral internal security report by the end of 2021. The Ministry of the Interior has appointed a secretariat to prepare the report, chaired by Harri Martikainen, the Ministry’s Director of Strategic Steering and Development. Juho Saari’s assignment is part of the preparation of the internal security report.