Monitoring the implementation of the human rights instruments – News

The Human Rights Centre has compiled current news and links on periodic reporting.

Overview

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has updated its summary of the recommendations Finland has received from the human rights bodies of the UN and CoE. All other key recommendations are included in the summary except the amended recommendations for the European Social Charter and for the implementation of the Lanzarote Convention.

The web pages for periodic reporting, which were damaged during the redesign of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs website (https://um.fi/ihmisoikeussopimukset-ja-raportit) are currently being corrected and reports in the process of being returned to the web pages. (Once the needed repairs have been completed) the web pages will contain periodic reports, LOI and LOIPR documents, provided recommendations etc. in various languages.

The Human Rights Centre’s monitoring page contains updated timetables, etc. and each convention has its own subpage, meaning it will now be easier to monitor what is going on and the timetables according to which actors can submit information to committees. Updating will continue slowly but surely. https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/

Deadlines for periodic reports

The deadline for the Government Report on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is 2 April 2020. The report comprises the Government’s answers to the questions and requests for information included in the LOIPR document (List of Issues Prior to Reporting). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights LOIPR https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/?x5822114=7644057

The report on the International covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will be discussed at the 68th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 28 September 2020. The deadline for the submission of materials to the committee for consideration during discussion on the report should preferably be 6 weeks before the session meaning 14 August 2020, but at latest two weeks before the session meaning on 4 September 2020 (estimate based on prior sessions, precise dates will be published later on). https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/tss/ (in Finnish)

The deadline for the Government Report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is 2 April 2020. The report comprises the Government’s answers to the questions and requests for information included in the LOIPR document (List of Issues Prior to Reporting). Government Report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights LOIPR https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/?x5822114=7643363

The Government Report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will be discussed at the 130th session of the Committee on Civil and Political Rights on 12 October 2020. The deadline for the submission of materials to the committee for consideration in their discussion concerning the report is 14 September 2020. (the date is an estimate based on prior sessions and precise dates will be published later on). https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/kp/ (in Finnish)

The Government submitted its UPR in September 2019. This can be found on the OHCHR website https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRImplementation.aspx. This will not be discussed during the session. Organisations are asked to continue to submit information related to this. Nothing concerning Finland has been submitted so far. The Human Rights Centre will possibly submit a statement at the beginning of 2020. The UPR cycle will last until 2021. No deadlines have been set for organisations. NGO and NHRI statements on reports by other countries are available at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPR-NGOs-Mid-term-reports.aspx

As regards the CAT Convention (Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment), the Committee against Torture will approve the LOIPR document for the preparation of Finland’s 7th report at its session that will begin on 11 November 2019 (this will be published at the beginning of December). The deadline for the Government report is at this time 7 December 2020. More precise timetables for the submission of materials will be published later on when the date of discussions has been confirmed.
https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/cat/ (in Finnish)

Other information on reporting

There will be no reporting on the articles of the European Social Charter this year. Rather, the 15th periodic report will at the committee’s request be submitted in simplified form and will only include the implementation measures listed in the decisions concerning five complaints by organisations. (Complaints 70/2011, 71/2011, 88/2012, 106/2014 and 108/2014 https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680492888&format=pdf page 3).  https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/esc/ (in Finnish)

Finland’s first periodic report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was submitted to the CRPD Committee in August 2019 (the original deadline for the report was 10 June 2018). https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/crpd/ (in Finnish). There is a backlog of several years in the committee’s processing work, which means that the dates for processing and preparation will be announced later on.

In addition

The UN’s human rights Treaty Body System (committees, reporting, monitoring) is currently undergoing a confirmation procedure. The situation is serious as financing is at stake and the system is very backlogged in the processing of both individual applications and periodic reporting. The reform is progressing slowly. Read up on its history here https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRTD/Pages/TBStrengthening.aspx . Up-to-date statements including a statement issued by Finland’s Government in spring 2019 are available at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRTD/Pages/3rdBiennialReportbySG.aspx

A reform of the CoE’s human rights instrument system and the ECHR is currently underway. The process has been a work in progress in many different forms and areas for quite some time. At present, the continuation of the 2010 Interlaken process is in progress. The last conference for this was held in Copenhagen in 2018. Hot topics of the moment include inter-state applications and the State’s responsibility for extraterritorial situations (situations in which an area is recognised as part of a State, but is not, in practice, under the State’s administration, e.g. Transnistria, etc.). Read more on the reform and its background and stages on the court’s website https://echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=basictexts/reform&c= as well as on the CoE’s intergovernmental CDDH committee’s (Steering Committee for Human Rights) and its subcommittees’ the CDDH-INST and CDDH-SYSC (Committee of Experts on the System of the European Convention on Human Rights) work on this theme https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-intergovernmental-cooperation/echr-system.

In case you’ve missed this

The GREVIO delegation tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent violence against women and domestic abuse, issued its first recommendations concerning Finland on 2 September 2019 and the Human Rights Centre hosted an event on the same theme on 25 September. Read up more on recommendations https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/?x5822114=8238187 The below attachment includes a list of recommendations according to their priority in Finnish https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/en-naisiin-kohdistuva-vakivalta/

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) issued its recommendation to Finland on 10 September 2019. In September 2021, the ECRI will complete the periodic monitoring of the implementation of two special recommendations. These apply to the powers of the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal in connection with complaints concerning working life discrimination (all grounds) as well as the requirement for sterilisation included in the Transgender Act. The Committee also issued 20 other recommendations. https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/?x5822114=8231399 and a report with recommendations in Finnish https://rm.coe.int/fifth-report-on-finland-finnish-translation-/1680972fa8. https://www.ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi/seuranta/maaraaikaisraportointi-yk-en/raportoinnin-aikataulut/ecri/

Trivia on the ECHR

During this summer and autumn, the ECHR has updated a number of its different publications on its website https://www.echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=caselaw/analysis&c=. For example, instructions on admissibility and the case law series covering numerous articles have been updated. https://www.echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=caselaw/analysis/guides&c=#. Follow @ECHRPublication on Twitter for the newest information on reforms and updates as well as on rulings and other decisions.