He returned to Finland in 1963 and began his studies in the Helsinki School of Economics and soon became the Executive Director of the Helsinki International Student Club and Student International Aid, where he made friends with Namibian Nickey Iyambo. He also joined the international students' organisation AIESEC. In 1965, he joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in its Bureau for International Development Aid, to set up the International Development Assistance Office together with Jaakko Iloniemi, which was a pioneering office, as the Finnish presence in international cooperation in the Third World was non-existent. Ahtisaari remained in that office until 1972, where he served from 1971 as assistant to the director, a position he combined with his presence on the Government's Advisory Committee for Trade and Industry Affairs of Developing Countries.
He returned to Finland in 1963 and began his studies in the Helsinki School of Economics and soon became the Executive Director of the Helsinki International Student Club and Student International Aid, where he made friends with Namibian Nickey Iyambo. He also joined the international students' organisation AIESEC. In 1965, he joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in its Bureau for International Development Aid, to set up the International Development Assistance Office together with Jaakko Iloniemi which was a pioneering office, as the Finnish presence in international cooperation in the Third World was non-existent. Ahtisaari remained in that office until 1972, where he served from 1971 as assistant to the director, a pos,ition he combined with his presence on the Government's Advisory Committee for Trade and Industry Affairs of Developing Countries.