Harri Hermanni Holkeri (; 6 January 1937 – 7 August 2011) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

statesman representing the National Coalition Party of Finland (Kokoomus / Samlingspartiet). He was the

Prime Minister of Finland The prime minister of Finland ( fi, Suomen pääministeri; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally ranked third in the protocol ...

1987–1991, president of the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

2000–2001 and headed the

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall ...

from 2003 to 2004 (leaving the position in the spring of the second year because of health issues).

Domestic offices

Harri Holkeri was member of the board of directors of the Bank of Finland from 1978 to 1997, and candidate in the president elections of 1982 and 1988. He also served as a member of Parliament from 1970 to 1978 and as the chairman of the National Coalition (Conservative) Party from 1971 to 1979."Mitä Missä Milloin – Kansalaisen vuosikirja, editions 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980; Otava Publications Ltd.,

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city' ...

) On 1 July 1991 he made the world's first

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

call, to

Kaarina Suonio Kaarina Elisabeth Suonio ( Brusiin; born 7 February 1941) is a Finnish retired politician and psychologist. She represented Helsinki in the Parliament of Finland from 1975 to 1986 as a member of the Social Democratic Party. From 1982 to 1986, sh ...

, vice mayor of the city of Tampere. The historic call used

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

gear on GSM's original 900 MHz band.

Legacy

He chaired the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

during the 55th session (2000–2001). He also played a constructive role in securing the

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

in Northern Ireland.

Cabinets

Holkeri Cabinet The cabinet of Harri Holkeri was the 64th government of Finland, which existed from 30 April 1987 to 26 April 1991. It was a majority government formed by the National Coalition Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Swedish People's Party, and ...

Later years and death

In his last years, Holkeri resided in

Kruununhaka Kruununhaka (; ) is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Kruununhaka became the area next to the harbour and the center, when Helsinki was moved from the earlier location in the mid-1660s. From the very beginning, the residents i ...

, Helsinki. In November 2008 Holkeri was walking outside a grocery store in Kruununhaka, when a robber tackled him while fleeing. Holkeri was badly wounded, broke his hip and needed a joint replacement surgery on his hips. The suspect turned himself in to the police, but stated that he did not intend to harm Holkeri and that the tackle was an accident. Holkeri sued the suspect for temporary and permanent damages for a total of 8,400€. Holkeri died in 2011 in Helsinki.

Honors and awards

Domestic

Holkeri was awarded the highest Finnish honorary title of Counselor of State in 1998 by the President of Finland

Martti Ahtisaari Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (; born 23 June 1937) is a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland (1994–2000), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work. Ahtisa ...

Foreign

Holkeri's efforts in Northern Ireland were rewarded with an honorary KBE from Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

of the United Kingdom.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holkeri, Harri 1937 births 2011 deaths People from Oripää National Coalition Party politicians Prime Ministers of Finland Members of the Parliament of Finland (1970–72) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1972–75) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1975–79) Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly United Nations Mission in Kosovo Central bankers Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations