Finland and the Council of Europe, bringing human rights from the conference table to your kitchen table

The Council of Europe works for you. We want to give visibility to the role, standards and work of the Council of Europe in its member states, to show how Council of Europe membership has helped achieve particular results or changes. Our aim, through a variety of events and actions, is to highlight ways in which the Council of Europe’s action has helped improve the life of individuals and contributed to improving people’s enjoyment of fundamental rights.

Sini Paukkunen-Mykkänen, Suurlähettiläs, Suomen pysyvä edustaja Euroopan neuvostossa

Whether it is the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level, or the Council of Europe's work in many fields, such as working to abolish the death penalty or to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of the media, or to adress online and technology-facilitated violence against women through the Istanbul Convention and Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the Council of Europe has achieved a lot since 1949. View achievements »

Events

2 February 2025

• The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs organised a third annual exchange with Finnish civil society representatives. A broad spectrum of Council of Europe issues was discussed. Read social media post. 

18 September 2024

• “State of human rights in Finland” panel discussion on human rights and the impact of the Council of Europe combining perspectives from the government, Committee of Ministers, and national PACE and Congress delegations. An event organised in the context of the Finnish Municipal Fair gathering together some 7000 participants from all over the country. Read social media post.

28 May 2024

• Second annual Council of Europe Human Rights Day focusing on youth engagement. It was also an occasion to celebrate the Council of Europe’s 75^th anniversary, 30 years of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and 35 years since Finland become a member state - Finland Looks to the Future on Human Rights - Portal

25 May 2024

• Op-Ed on the occasion of the 75^th anniversary of the Council of Europe - Euroopan neuvosto puolustaa yhteisiä arvojamme - Mielipide | HS.fi

31 January 2024

• Exchange on the Council of Europe with national civil society organisations at the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki - Finnish civil society deepens its understanding of the Council of Europe - Telling the CoE's story

Ongoing

• Workshops and online training course on strengthening the participation of children and youth. This is part of a broader project of the Ministry of Justice
• Blog articles are regularly published in Finnish, Swedish and English on the website of the Council of Europe Human Rights Day

4 May 2023

• Council of Europe Human Rights Day in Turku with the Deputy Secretary General as keynote speaker. The event will consist of three parts: panel discussions, research seminar, and a public event for local citizens.

3-4 March 2023 

• Series of interviews published in Åbo Underrättelser with Finnish citizens who work at the CoE or the Permanent Representation of Finland:
  • Från Karis och ÅA till toppjobb ute i världen – Nina Nordström är van vid att vara Pekka Haavistos vikarie
  • Fredrik Holm tog sats vid ÅA för karriär i Europas hjärta – det egna hjärtat klappar för Norrskata och Åbolands skärgård
  • Byråkraten behövs – Mats Lindberg från Åbo tar fajten för människorätt med andra verktyg än de högljudda aktivisterna

20 January 2023

• The Council of Europe and Finnish civil society: A spin-off from a CINGO event organized by the PACE delegation. The event offered practical guide for civil society and led to suggestions for further information events. 

15 September 2022

• Panel discussion “Municipalities as Human-Rights Defenders” held at the Kuntamarkkinat annual municipal fair in Helsinki.