Human Rights Centre developed human rights foresight in 2023

2023 was marked by concerning developments in the international security situation, and security issues also came to the fore in national debate and politics. During the year, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) continued to monitor the development of the rule of law in Finland and developed human rights foresight.

In 2023, the HRC continued to systematically collect information on the implementation of fundamental and human rights, to analyse data and to maintain up-to-date knowledge of the situation. Monitoring data was used in opinions and oral hearings to committees and in reporting to international bodies that enforce human rights. 

As in previous years, the HRC reported on issues related to the rule of law in the early part of the year both in the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) State of the Rule of Law Report and to the European Commission. The opinions drew attention to issues such as the rights of persons with disabilities and older people, violence against women, the rights of the Sámi and the lack of a mechanism for protecting human rights defenders in Finland. 

Over the year, the HRC paid particular attention to delays in the national implementation of the decisions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) concerning Finland. 

In 2023, the HRC developed human rights foresight and published an extensive study that maps out the field of human rights foresight and describes foresight practices and the Finnish foresight system. The HRC will continue its work on the basis of this study to develop human rights foresight.

In early 2022, the Human Rights Centre launched the Young Expert Programme, and its first programming period was completed in summer 2023. At the end of the programming period, a review was published, which examined the rights of young people in international human rights treaties and gathered together observations made during the programming period on the implementation of the rights of young people in Finland.

Internationally, the HRC engaged in particularly close cooperation with the ENNHRI. The network was chaired by the Director of the HRC. In addition, an HRC expert served as the chairman of the ENNHRI Legal Working Group, which saw the HRC participate in the oral session of the EIT on third-party interventions in two climate cases.

Cooperation also continued with other European human rights actors, such as the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). International cooperation also focused on supporting national human rights institutions that are in a difficult position. In particular, the Human Rights Centre cooperated with the Ukrainian High Commissioner for Human Rights both bilaterally and through the ENNHRI.

Read 

• Human Rights Centre Annual Report 2023
• ENNHRI's The State of the Rule of Law in Europe 2023 report on Finland
• Report on human rights foresight, resilience and preparedness during transformations in society (PDF)
• Review of the first term of the Young Expert Programme (PDF, in Finnish)

Further information:

Susan Villa, Expert, tel. +358 9 432 3738, firstname.lastname@ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi