Statement by H.E. Ms. Liisa-Ly Pakosta
the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Estonia
High Level Segment of the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Geneva, 23 February 2026
Mr. President,
UN Secretary-General,
High Commissioner Türk,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my honour to address this Council – a vital body for the promotion and protection of human rights for everyone, everywhere. Estonia is proud to serve on the Human Rights Council for the second time.
We are living in challenging times marked by war, multiple crises, growing tensions and polarisation, where international law and human rights are under immense pressure. It is our shared duty to defend them, which makes Human Rights Council, as it marks its 20th anniversary, more relevant than ever.
The international system is being challenged exactly when we need it the most. There are unfortunately many examples of the dangerous trend of disregard for international law – but the clearest is right at our neighbourghood in Europe. Russia’s illegal and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine has now spanned 12 long years. Tomorrow Russia’s illegal and unjustified full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine will enter its fifth year.
We should never forget that Ukraine is not the instigator of this war, but the victim of Russia’s brutality. If Russia truly wished to end the war, it could do so in an instant.
Despite international efforts to put an end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to pave the way for just and lasting peace, Russia has intensified its deliberate and targeted attacks against Ukraine’s energy and other civilian infrastructure. Attacks clearly intended to cut off Ukrainian people from electricity, heating and water supplies in times of extremely harsh winter conditions constitute a clear breach of Russia’s obligations under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.
Moreover, since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian children have been unlawfully and forcibly transferred and deported by Russia. The forced deportation of children is not only a crime under international law; it is a strategy and an attempt to break a nation by attacking its most vulnerable. The deported children of Ukraine are not an abstract topic or distant statistics. We are talking about children whose childhood has been stolen, whose identities erased, and whose futures are being rewritten by illegal adoption, citizenship changes, indoctrination and militarization, with a genocidal aim of erasing their national identity. Estonia remains committed to working relentlessly with all partners to ensure their safe return to their families.
We reaffirm our support for the International Criminal Court in bringing Russia and its leadership to justice and ensuring comprehensive accountability for all atrocities and war crimes committed by Russia’s authorities. In this regard, the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine remains vital. Earlier this month, Estonian Parliament became the first to approve the Council of Europe Enlarged Partial Agreement establishing the management committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine – we encourgage other States to do the same. The perpetrators must not go unpunished, and this should be our shared international understanding.
In these difficult times for human rights, it is vital that the Council fulfils its core mandate and reacts to human rights violations and abuses whereever they occur. We welcome the attention by the Council to many deeply concerning human rights situations, including in Afghanistan, Belarus, DPRK, Iran, Palestine, and especially in Gaza, Russia, Sudan, Syria.
Mr. President,
As a digitaly advanced society, building a digital space grounded in democracy, rule of law, and human rights is our central prioritiy.
Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies offer great opportunities, but they also pose risks. Disinformation is a prime example, but not only.
Last year, we saw an escalated AI threat: malware attacking our mobile systems, water supply, electricity, heating, and transport. This malware was not just created with AI, but also powered by AI to carry out cyberattacks. Ukraine was among the first to face this new kind of attack against humanity, when the Russian military-linked group APT28 deployed its AI-enabled malware against another nation.
When amplified by AI, all these threats become even more potent. That’s why we are focused on transparency, accountability, and strong regulatory frameworks. The Human Rights Council must help shape global standards to ensure AI stays safe and fair. We believe that a multistakeholder approach is essential to succeed in this work.
In this regard, we acknowledge the Joint Statement by UN Child Rights Committee and 14 UN agencies on AI and the Rights of the Child, which is dedicated specifically to ensure that AI is designed, developed and used in line with children’s rights. Ensuring that innovation delivers opportunities for children while protecting them from harm, discrimination and exclusion, is also a high priority for Estonia. Estonia, as a digital nation, is ready to cooperate at all levels.
Estonia stands for truth. At a time when truth is being eroded by disinformation and censorship, I would like to highlight the essential role that journalists, media workers, civil society and the human rights defenders are playing in the protection and promotion of human rights, despite facing threats, attacks, intimidation and harassment, including in the digital space. Women journalists face specific gendered risks, including identity theft and deepfake sexual content. We should do more to counter online threats posed to them. Here again, multistakeholder approach is necessary.
Hard-won progress on gender equality and human rights of women and girls’ is slowly eroding. Gender equality and empowering women and girls is essential for building a just, inclusive, and sustainable societies. Estonia remains strongly committed to protecting and promoting rights of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, as without the right to decide over their own body, their political and economic participation is also affected.
Mr President,
Let me reaffirm that Estonia is committed to a strong multilateral human rights system.
As attacks on our rights intensify, our commitment to respect and protect human rights is more resolute than ever. Nevertheless, the Council needs to become more effective, efficient, agile and creative to face 21st century challenges such as inequality, conflict, climate change, and technological disruption. Estonia stands for a sustainable and adequate financing of the UN human rights pillar and is committed to contributing to the effectiveness, stronger impact and higher visibility of the human rights system.
We must reaffirm that respect for human rights and international law is not a source of division, but the foundation for peace, security, and sustainable development worldwide. Two decades after its establishment, the Council remains more relevant than ever, with the important task to ensure this intrinsic link between human rights, peace, security and development. Only by working together we can ensure that human rights can be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere and that no one is left behind. That is what this Council is about and this is why Estonia is proud to be its member for the next 3 years.
I thank you!