“Upholding human rights is an integral part of Estonia’s foreign policy,” Lind said in a panel discussion with Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty. “Human rights and fundamental freedoms must be ensured for all people, and we must work towards this goal in international cooperation.”
Lind spoke about Russia violating human rights in Ukraine and in Russia itself, and noted the deterioration of human rights in Georgia. At the same time, the undersecretary commended Ukraine for taking substantial steps to improve the state of human rights despite the difficult conditions caused by Russia’s aggression.
At the meeting, Lind gave an overview of the implementation of marriage equality in Estonia and presented Estonia’s Human Rights Action Plan that includes standing up for the rights of LGBTI persons and equal treatment. LGBTI rights are part of human rights and also connected to Estonia’s campaign to become a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 period.
“Advancing the rights of LGBTI persons begins with small steps every day and each one of us can take these steps,” Lind said.
Estonia has been a member of the ERC that is dedicated to the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons since its foundation in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2016. Today the coalition has 45 member states. From 2022 to 2024, the coalition was co-chaired by Germany and Mexico, and Spain and Colombia then took over the co-chairmanship.
