77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Third Committee General Discussion item on Promotion and protection of human rights
Statement by the Republic of Estonia
20 October 2022
Mr Chair,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement made of the European Union but adds the following.
We believe that human rights are closely intertwined with the achievement of the UN objectives on security and development.
Mr Chair,
On the 24th of February, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were scarred and destroyed forever when Russia launched a full-scale war. Since then, a trail of war crimes and mass graves has been left behind by Russia on occupied Ukrainian territories, much like the atrocities Nazi and Soviet regimes conducted against innocent civilians during the 20th century.
In September, the International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Russian Federation forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. Civilians have been subjected to gender-based and conflict-related sexual violence, children have been forcibly deported to Russia and many have been illegally detained, tortured or have gone missing. Furthermore, in the context of the Third Committee, Russia is using the content of their own tabled resolution to justify launching the xenophobic and unprovoked aggression against Ukrainian people.
Estonia continues to point out the grave human rights violations committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and calls for establishing a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russia’s aggression. As Russian war efforts also exacerbate the global food crisis and food security challenges worldwide, we cannot stress enough the need for Russia to have the conscience to take the first step towards enabling a basic right for food for millions of people worldwide.
Climate change and conflicts continue to increase risks for the most vulnerable groups, including women and girls. We support the full inclusion of gender perspective in our deliberations in this Committee as well as throughout the UN. Empowering women and girls remains a priority of Estonia’s human rights activities. In this respect, I would like to acknowledge and support the brave women and girls of Iran, but also Afghanistan for standing up for their basic human rights. I want to also bring attention to the deteriorating human rights situation of Belarus, where the human rights of civilians, but especially those of vulnerable groups, are being systematically violated without any impunity. We monitor the situation closely and continue to work on measures to ensure the accountability of all perpetrators.
Estonia works to overcome challenges related to the protection of children affected by armed conflict. We continue to provide support to UNICEF as well as the Special Representative for their activities in protecting children.
Although Estonia’s membership in the NGO Committee will come to an end with this year, we remain committed to strengthening the critical link between the UN and civil society.
Last but not least, I would like to emphasize the importance of access to information and freedom of expression in today’s ever growingly digitalized world. Estonia has come a long way and is today of the top counties in the world when it comes to championing the freedom of the press. This year, we had the pleasure of hosting the global conference on Media Freedom and we will continue to prioritise defending freedom of expression worldwide.
Mr. Chair
Thank you and I wish the Third Committee a fruitful session in maximizing the value of human rights and minimizing the price people have to pay to access them.
