Finland Times

He will take up his duties on 14 October 2013 at the project at the Prime Minister's Office. Hyttinen will transfer to the Prime Minister's Office from the position of Senior Adviser to the Deputy Mayor of Helsinki. Previously he served in the same position in Savonlinna and as Director of the Savonlinna Ballet Festival.

Earlier, the government on September 9 has undertaken a project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the independence of the country scheduled to be observed in 2017, said an official press release on Monday.

The Prime Minister's Office has launched a project to plan engaging and interesting activities to mark the centenary year.

The government also formed a centenary commission headed by the Prime Minister, Jyrki Katainen with Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen as vice chair. The commission comprises over 60 people representing various sectors of society.

The project is to build up shared understanding of Finland's independence and development as a nation, the significance of Finland and Finnishness today, and the nation's future challenges and new direction.

The centenary emphasises Finland's democracy, the inviolability of human dignity and the freedom and rights of the individual, and promotes justice and openness in society.

The centennial year also disseminates information on, advances knowledge of and creates conditions for engaged discussion on key values and principles that the pluralistic democracy of Finland is built on.

The commission will decide on the general outline of the centenary celebrations. The project's general secretary, who also serves as the secretary of the commission, prepares issues for the centenary board and is the main producer of the centenary celebrations.

The Prime Minister's Office will separately appoint the centenary board, its chair and vice chair.

The board will be responsible for the preparation of the programme declation which is to present key aims, principles and themes of the centenary and the way they are to be put into action.

The board will also prepare and coordinate the official centenary events, plan the entire programme and direct the realisation of the celebrations and its guidance, the press release added.