Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my honour to address the Human Rights Council.
The world based on international law is under increasing pressure, attempts are being made to amplify existing contradictions and to undermine values.
According to Freedom House, 2024 marked the 18th consecutive year of declining in collective democratic freedoms worldwide, and the 14th year of decline in internet freedom.
Our freedoms – the core values of humanity – are under attack.
Two days ago, Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine entered its fourth year. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began already in February 2014, when Russia occupied Ukrainian Crimea.
In light of Russia’s blatant disregard for international law, the international community must remain steadfast in supporting Ukraine and its people, striving for a just and lasting peace.
We should never forget that Ukraine is not the instigator of this war, but the victim of Russia’s brutality. History has repeatedly proven that no agreement or deal with Russia stands the test of time. Russia’s actions serve no interest other than Putin’s regime – not even those of the Russian own people who suffer under repression and suppression. If Russia truly wished to end the war, it could do so in an instant – a fact that exposes the hypocrisy of their supposed desire for peace.
We reaffirm our support for the International Criminal Court in bringing them to justice and ensuring comprehensive accountability for all atrocities and war crimes committed by Russia’s authorities. The perpetrators must not go unpunished. In this regard, the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine remains vital.
Amid the turmoil, recent news have also brought a glimmer of hope: the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, there is also hope for Syria. These developments will hopefully pave the way for a broader political process that will bring lasting peace to the region.
Mr President,
At this time of escalating conflicts, children face an increasing risk of grave violations of their rights. Children in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Gaza, just to name a few, have been stripped of their childhood, deliberately targeted, with attacks on schools, hospitals, and residencial areas robbing them of safety and security. Children`s rights and needs must be upheld everywhere, including in armed conflicts.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred and deported by the Russian Federation. The forced deportation of children is not only a crime under international law; it is an attack on the very foundation of human rights. Estonia remains committed to working relentlessly with its partners to ensure their safe return to their families.
Despite this gloomy reality, there is hope. Last year, at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, we witnessed encouraging developments in Bogotà where numerous countries pledged to scale up their efforts to invest in child protection and violence prevention systems.
Mr President,
As a digitaly advanced society, Estonia is dedicatedly protecting freedom of expression both online and offline.
As a co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, we focus on strengthening press freedom, combating disinformation, and ensuring the safety of journalists across the globe.
Over recent years, we have seen a worrying rise in disinformation, which threatens human rights in a number of ways – jeopardising our right to health, right to non-discrimination, the right to free and fair elections, and freedom of expression. In this respect, we believe that greater efforts are needed to come up with appropriate responses to counter the spread of disinformation, expose malicious influence activities and enhance media literacy.
Estonia is also chairing the Freedom Online Coalition, dedicated to advancing internet freedom. Among our priorities is decreasing the digital divide between the Global North and South through sharing our expertise in building digital infrastructure for e-Government solutions.
Mr President,
On Monday, the Council commemmorated the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action –the most comprehensive expression of States’ commitments to gender equality. Unfortunately, the world is still far from achieving the vision of Beijing and the divide between countries on defending and enhancing the rights of women and girls is widening.
It is crucial to intensify our efforts to dismantle systemic barriers to equity and fullfil our commitment to women’s rights and gender equality. Estonia remains strongly committed to protecting and promoting human rights of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, and advocating for equal opportunities as it brings high returns and contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
In these darker days for democracy, I would like to highlight the essential role that the civil society and the human rights defenders are playing in the protection and promotion of human rights, despite facing worrying levels of threats, attacks, intimidation and harassment, including in the digital space. We denounce these practices.
Mr President,
I would like to reaffirm that Estonia is committed to a strong multilateral human rights system. We reiterate our continous support for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and thank the High Commissoner for his tireless efforts in promoting and protecing human rights and in speaking out against human rights violations and abuses.
In this context, I want to highlight Estonia’s candidature to the Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term. Estonian foreign policy is guided by the imperative that multilateralism is the most effective way to address global challenges, and seeking a seat on the Human Rights Council is compliant with this assumption. We share High Commissioner’s conviction that in the times of crisis, human rights offer solutions and a path forward.
Allow me to conclude as I began, the attack on our rights is intensifying. As these assults grow, so too must our commitment to respect, protect and fulfil human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law. That is what this Council is about and this is why Estonia is seeking its membership.
I thank you!