Finland reports to UN on human rights
Press release 49/2012
6 March 2012
The second cycle of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process will begin this year. Finland will be among the first states to be reviewed in May 2012. Finland submitted its national report to the Council on 5 March.
The report describes implementation of basic and human rights in Finland and implementation of the recommendations approved by Finland during the first cycle of reviews. In the report Finland makes, for example, a pledge to develop the monitoring of the implementation of basic and human rights.
The report was drawn up in collaboration between relevant ministries under the steering of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In the drafting of the report the views of the civil society were heard and advantage taken of the material compiled for the national action plan on basic and human rights, currently in preparation.
In the Periodic Review, UN member states pose questions to one another on the human rights situation and give recommendations for its further development. The review is carried out as a dialogue where Finland is represented by a delegation of experts chaired by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala. During the first cycle of reviews in 2008–2011 the human right situations of all member states were reviewed. The periodic review concerning Finland was conducted in March 2008, among the first countries involved. In June 2010, Finland submitted a voluntary interim report to the Human Rights Council on the implementation of the recommendations approved by it.
The focus of this cycle of reviews is on the implementation of former recommendations and on progress made after the previous cycle. After the periodic review, Finland should prepare national implementation of the recommendations it approves.
Further information: Krista Oinonen, Legal Officer, Unit for Human Rights Courts and Conventions, tel. +358 9 1605 5731, mobile tel. +358 40 158 54 82; and Tapio Rantanen, Project Assistant, Unit for Human Rights Policy, tel. +358 9 1605 5280, e-mail: [email protected]