Maintaining peace and security and the fight against terrorism

Estonia has ratified and complies with the 12 most important UN conventions against terrorism. In addition to these in the autumn of 2005 President of Estonia Arnold Rüütel signed the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Estonia attaches great importance to the adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism in the near future and also participates in the efforts to conclude the convention in New York.

Since Estonia first participated in an international peacekeeping operation in 1995 in Croatia, more than 1300 Estonian peacekeepers have taken part in various international peacekeeping and crisis management operations. In addition to Croatia, Estonia has participated in the UN peace missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, the Middle East, and Mali. The largest peacekeeping company to date, the 136-member ESTCOY took part in the UNIFIL mission to South Lebanon in 1996-1997. Since Spring 2015, up to 50 active duty officers in the Estonian Defence Forces participate in the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL in Lebanon.

Estonia has participated in the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) mission to Middle East since 1997.

Estonia also participates in the UN mandated international forces led by NATO in Kosovo (KFOR), the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali), and the EU led Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali). Since 2015, Estonia participates in the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan.

Since 1996, more than 30 Estonian policemen have participated with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in police missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Kosovo.

Estonia, having ratified the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 30 January 2002, is a founding member of the ICC. The statute of the court came into force on 1 July 2002. Between 2011 and 2014, Tiina Intelmann was the President of the Assembly of States Parties.