New Executive Director Terhi Aaltonen: “Clean water is a human right that is not realised everywhere”
The new Executive Director of Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, Terhi Aaltonen, brings extensive experience from international development cooperation as well as from the NGO and foundation sectors. She is particularly motivated by the role research and education can play in advancing people’s right to clean water.
Terhi Aaltonen holds a Master of Science in Geography. Throughout her career, she has been driven by an interest in how societies are built and how knowledge can be translated into practical solutions.
From international cooperation to work in Finland
In the early stages of her career, Terhi worked for nearly 15 years in development cooperation and public health. Her work focused on HIV-related issues, non-discrimination, gender equality, and strengthening civil society. She has held both expert and leadership roles at UNAIDS at the global level, as well as in NGOs and foundations in Latin America, Africa, and Finland.
Before joining Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, Terhi served as Executive Director of Kotimajoituksen tuki ry. In this role, she developed the organisation’s operations at a time when the need for home accommodation increased rapidly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Terhi has also worked as Executive Director of the human rights foundation KIOS, where she led the foundation’s work to support local human rights organisations in Africa and Asia.
In her work, Terhi has focused on promoting equality and on advocacy aimed at developing services, practices, and structures that more effectively respond to the needs of different groups of people, especially vulnerable populations.
Clean water as a human rights issue
At Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, Terhi is inspired by the opportunity to engage with a new thematic area and to apply her broad expertise. For her, clean water and access to it are personally meaningful as a human rights issue and as an increasingly urgent global challenge.
“Access to clean water is closely linked to human dignity. By supporting research and education in Finland, we can help develop solutions that also have relevance internationally,” Terhi says.
Terhi is particularly motivated by the role the foundation can play in enabling research, education, and culture at a time when public funding is being reduced in many areas. She considers effective collaboration and clear governance essential for enabling long-term, impactful work.
“How can we contribute more solutions to the world from Finland? That is a question I find especially inspiring to explore in this role.”
