Government discusses human rights recommendations issued to Finland

The Government discussed the recommendations, decisions and conclusions issued to Finland by the international human rights monitoring bodies on 3 October. The discussion was held as part of the implementation of the Government's equality statement. Based on the discussion, the State Secretaries of the parties in Government decided on further measures related to the recommendations.

Finland is a signatory to the key international human rights treaties. Human rights treaties are an important part of the international rules-based order, which is essential for a country such as Finland. The Government is committed to further developing the international human rights system and to complying with reporting and other treaty obligations.

As stated in the Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy, Finland stands by values it considers important and central, such as democracy, the rule of law, international law and human rights, peace, equality, and non-discrimination.

In its discussions, the Government focused especially on human rights recommendations related to equality based on a report drawn up by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The recommendations issued to Finland highlight shortcomings in anti-discrimination law and the institutional framework to combat discrimination, the skills and knowledge of the authorities, the functioning of legal recourse, the rights of the Sámi and the availability of healthcare and mental healthcare services. A significant number of the recommendations issued to Finland have do to with hate speech and hate crimes.

Finland has repeatedly received recommendations related to producing information on equality and the realisation of the rights of various population groups. For example, the human rights monitoring bodies have stated that Finland’s statistics do not provide a comprehensive picture of the realisation of the human rights of ethnic minorities in Finland.

The practical implementation of human rights recommendations is coordinated by the Government Network for Fundamental and Human Rights.

Guidelines for further measures

General guidelines

• Monitoring of the implementation of the human rights recommendations issued to Finland will continue at the political level.
• The summary of the human rights recommendations prepared for the Government’s discussions will be submitted as a statement to Parliament.
• The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will further develop its databank on human rights recommendations.

Shortcomings in legislation and the institutional framework

• A 2023 amendment to the Non-Discrimination Act extended the mandate of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman to include discrimination at work and gave the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal the ability to recommend compensation. The effectiveness of these reforms to the mandate of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman and the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal will be determined through an ex-post assessment.

Collection of data and shortcomings in statistics

• The Prime Minister’s Office will launch a research project to improve the collection of statistics on equality. A roadmap for developing a national knowledge base on equality will be drawn up as part of the development of the national system for monitoring discrimination.
• The national fundamental and human rights indicators will be utilised and further developed.
• Improving training for the authorities and increasing their awareness
• In line with the Government’s equality statement, training will be organised for senior public officials and political decision-makers. More extensive education and training on human rights is outlined in the National Action Plan on Fundamental and Human Rights.

Equality and non-discrimination structures and the rights of the Sámi as an Indigenous people

• The Government aims to improve the realisation of the autonomy and rights of the Sámi people. The Government proposal for a new Act on the Sámi Parliament is currently under discussion in Parliament.
• The State of Finland is committed to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi people in accordance with the Government Programme. The aim of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to collect Sámi people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities and to make this information visible to the public.

Combating hate crimes and hate speech

• The recommendations on hate speech and hate crimes and the resulting national measures will be mapped out as part of the implementation of the equality statements. The conclusions will be reported on in the Government’s next discussion on the human rights recommendations.
• A rapporteur appointed by the Ministry of Justice has assessed the amendments to the Criminal Code of Finland required by the EU Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia. Based on the report, the Government will assess the possibility of amending the regulation on agitation against a population group to make it clearer, in line with international obligations.