Our Priorities

The main priorities of our campaign are the protection and promotion of children’s rights, enhancing digital rights and upholding media freedom. These themes have been and remain at the core of our political agenda – now more than ever before.

• We will continue to work to end all forms of violence against children, including in armed conflict, to protect children’s rights in the digital environment and to reduce the digital divide.
• We advocate for mainstreaming human rights and digital rights in the field of new and emerging technologies. We promote a human rights-based approach to digitalisation and support initiatives that help bridge different digital divides.
• We will focus on protecting and promoting media freedom online and offline, tackling the spreading of disinformation, and improving the level of media literacy. 
• We intend to focus also on the protection of the rights of women, promoting gender equality.

While these are our main priorities, we will also advocate for the link between human rights and climate change, and promote accountability and effective action in response to alleged international crimes.

During our term on the Human Rights Council, we will work with determination to make progress on our thematic priorities. This includes co-leading work on the comprehensive resolution on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights, among other initiatives.

We will engage in dialogue and cooperate in good faith with all member states and observers of the council. We are looking forward to a constructive and efficient cooperation with all countries to defend human rights and to find sustainable solutions for global challenges.

Previously Estonia was elected to serve as a member of the Human Rights Council for the first time in November 2012. During our three-year term, which lasted from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015, we focused on advancing gender equality, protecting and promoting the rights of women and children, the rights of indigenous people as well as freedom of opinion and expression.