Finland’s international human rights policy
Finland strengthens the rules-based, multilateral system and cooperation and acts globally to strengthen international law, democracy and human rights. Finland defends the universal nature of human rights and their binding nature under international law. Finland underscores the complementarity between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights.
Finland defends the universal and legally binding nature of human rights and promotes fundamental and human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Finland stresses the importance of strengthening non-discrimination, equality and participatory rights. Violations of human rights or international humanitarian law will result in accountability. Finland promotes the objectives of its international human rights policy as part of the EU, bilaterally and in multilateral forums.
Internationally, Finland promotes and defends the rights of women, girls, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, gender and sexual minorities and other people in particularly vulnerable positions, among others. Finland supports the ability of civil society and human rights defenders to act. Finland also cooperates with civil society organisations as a means of promoting its foreign and security policy objectives.
Finland appreciates the work of human rights defenders. The UN Declaration on human rights defenders identifies human rights defenders as individuals or groups who act to promote human rights through peaceful means. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has published guidelines for protecting and supporting them. The key message of the guidelines is to encourage and urge the Foreign Service's entire staff to collaborate actively with human rights defenders.
Finland wants to make the voice of human rights defenders heard in international arenas.
- Supporting Human Rights Defenders Together: Guidelines of the Finnish Foreign Service (Institutional Repository for the Government Valto) (link to another website)
- United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (link to another website)
The priorities of Finland's international human rights policy are:
Promoting the rights and participation of women and girls
Finland actively promotes women’s and girls' rights and gender equality in all its foreign and security policy activities, laying special emphasis on women’s political and economic participation, the elimination of discrimination against women, and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Finland also actively contributes to the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the objective of which is to protect women and girls in armed conflicts, promote women’s equal participation in peace negotiations and reconstruction, and prevent gender-based violence.
The empowerment and equal status of women are not conceivable without political and economic inclusion and empowerment, which is why the Ministry for Foreign Affairs underlines the importance of women’s participation and leadership in political and economic decision-making. These goals are also pursued through development cooperation by supporting women’s and girls’ education, for instance.
Furthermore, Finland works locally with organisations that promote women's and girls' rights and cooperates with women's human rights defenders.
Finland strives to eliminate all violence against women and girls. Women and girls who are subject to multiple discrimination are particularly vulnerable to violence and other discrimination.
Finland also promotes the full and equal enjoyment of human rights by lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and girls as well as intersex persons.
Sexual and reproductive health and the related rights are an essential component of human rights and the agenda for gender equality and development, and their implementation is very important for everyone’s own body, sexuality and reproductive health.
Improving the rights of persons with disabilities
The implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities is one the cross-cutting objectives for Finland’s human rights policy and development policy. We strive to enhance the involvement of persons with disabilities in political decision-making both in Finland and internationally.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) obliges governments to build an accessible society without barriers and to provide everyone with an opportunity to access services in the fields of education and healthcare, for instance.
To ensure effective implementation of the CRPD, Finland supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SRPD).
Moreover, Finland funds projects that promote the rights of persons with disabilities across the world, being one the main funders of the UN Global Disability Fund.
Strengthening the rights of sexual and gender minorities
Finland promotes the rights of sexual and gender minorities as part of its foreign and security policy. Finland advocates the elimination of all forms of criminalisation as well as other discriminatory legislation and official measures based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Finland supports every person’s right to define their gender and sexuality on their own terms.
Young people must also have the right to information without any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and family structure. Finland supports the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons through economic and political means.
Finland continues to foster rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity by supporting initiatives promoting this theme in international forums such as the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council.
Finland actively promotes the rights of sexual and gender minorities in the EU and supports the activities of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Finland is also engaged in cooperation with other relevant actors, such as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs participates – often together with other EU countries – in Pride events all over the world.
Improving the rights of indigenous peoples
Finland aims to reinforce the status of indigenous peoples by working towards the realisation of the goals enshrined in the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Finland also continues to support the activities of the UN bodies dealing with indigenous peoples’ issues.
At the first-ever high-level UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held in autumn 2014, the UN Member States and representatives of indigenous peoples and civil society adopted an outcome document on the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. The document reaffirms the previous commitment made by the States regarding the status of indigenous peoples and respect for their rights. It also serves as a roadmap for implementing the rights of indigenous peoples.
Finland considers it particularly important to encourage the involvement of indigenous peoples in the UN system.
Promoting economic, social and cultural rights
Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) include the rights to education, adequate housing, food and water, the right to enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health, the right to work, and the right to just and favourable conditions of work.
Finland underscores the complementarity between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights.
In the sphere of international cooperation, Finland considers it important to promote the enforcement of ESCR and, in particular, to ensure the achievement of non-discrimination so that everyone would have equal opportunities to enjoy education, health services and employment.
Business and human rights – a key theme in Finnish foreign policy and development cooperation
The significance of business enterprises operating internationally and other business activities for the realisation of human rights has increased. Finland promotes sustainable business, states’ obligation to protect human rights in business activities and the obligation of business enterprises to respect human rights both nationally and internationally.
In 2024, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs published an online course ‘Business and Human Rights’. The course is in English and open for everyone.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has promoted understanding and knowledge of corporate due diligence and advanced policy coherence as part of its state financial instruments for the private sector. The Ministry has provided funding to a programme to measure the human rights impacts of companies (link to another website)(opens in a new window) implemented by Shift.
- Program Report, October 2019: Aligning Finland’s State Financing for Private Sector Activity Abroad with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (pdf, 12 pages)
- Final Program Report, December 2022: Embedding the UN Guiding Principles in Finland's State Financing of Private Sector Activity Abroad (pdf, 20 pages)
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011) are built on three pillars:
- the state duty to protect human rights,
- the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and
- access to remedy.
In Finland, the Government has adopted a national action plan for the implementation of the principles (link to another website)(opens in a new window) (pdf, 265 KB, 34 pages). The implementation is carried out by different ministries and monitored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. In accordance with the plan, the following measures have been carried out in Finland: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment: Business and human rights (link to another website) (opens in a new window)
Human rights
Human rights are indispensable for human dignity. Every human being in any country is entitled to human rights.
Human rights are enshrined in international human rights conventions. Human rights include the right to life, personal integrity, a fair trial, an effective remedy, and education. They also guarantee the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence; the freedom of thought and religion; the freedom of expression; the freedom of assembly and association; and the freedom of movement.
States that have joined human rights conventions are under the obligation to respect, protect and implement human rights for all on an equal basis, without any discrimination.
Human rights policy is an essential part of the foreign and security policy activities of the Finnish Government. Finland underlines the interdependence of human rights, security and development.
Finland sees human rights policy as a way of creating a more just and secure world with more human dignity.