CSW70 Ministerial Roundtable “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls”
Statement delivered by H.E. Erkki Keldo, Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Estonia
New York, 10 March 2026
Dear Colleagues,
Allow me to outline the steps Estonia has taken in recent years to strengthen women’s rights and ensure effective access to justice.
Our most important obligation is to ensure that violence against women – a grave human rights violation – is not the reality for any woman or girl.
Estonia is moving toward an important milestone. In 2025, the Government submitted to Parliament a draft law establishing that sexual relations must be based on consent, and that anything else must be treated as rape. Yes means yes. With this step, we strengthen women’s safety and their right to access justice.
In Estonia, women’s rights organisations have played a crucial role in advancing the consent-based law through their expertise and advocacy. Effective advocacy requires stable funding and strong cooperation. Estonia uses a strategic partnership model to fund civil society organisations, providing three-year agreements to organisations that promote gender equality.
At the same time, we are reinforcing the institutional safeguards that protect equality in Estonia. We are strengthening the independence and powers of our equality body so that it can more effectively support victims of discrimination, participate in legal proceedings, and contribute to preventing structural inequality. These reforms aim to ensure that access to justice is not only a formal right, but a practical reality.
We are also exploring how digital innovation can support equality. The Gender Equality Commissioner has developed an AI-tool to screen job advertisements for discrimination. Together with the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs and
academic experts, we are addressing bias in public-sector AI systems. A digital state must be fair and inclusive.
Laws alone are not enough. Where stereotypes and misogyny persist, access to justice is weakened.
Around the world, including in Estonia, young men and women show worrying gaps in their support for gender equality. Engaging men and boys is therefore essential. We need to provide better role models for men and offer a positive vision that a life free from gender stereotypes is more liberating and inspiring for everyone.
Thank you!