A/HRC/32/7
77.
Tajikistan welcomed efforts taken by Estonia to ensure the rights of children and
older persons. It made recommendations.
78.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia encouraged Estonia to intensify its
efforts with regard to combating domestic violence and violence against women, including
the adoption of amendments to the Penal Code to establish those acts as specific criminal
offences. It requested information on the process of establishing a national human rights
institution. It made a recommendation.
79.
Turkey noted the amendments to the Citizenship Act that facilitated the acquisition
of Estonian citizenship by stateless persons. It was concerned, however, about a growing
tendency towards manifestations of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in Estonian
society. Turkey made recommendations.
80.
Ukraine commended the reform of the Penal Code, the adoption of the new strategy
on integration, the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
and its Optional Protocol, and the special care development plan. It praised the positive
attitude of Estonia towards the social and cultural needs of national minorities, including
the Ukrainian community. Ukraine encouraged Estonia to continue its efforts to become
party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance, among others.
81.
The United Arab Emirates praised the establishment of the Gender Equality Council
and measures to address the gender pay gap and promote gender equality in education. It
expressed concern, however, about reports of religious and racial discrimination and
Islamophobia. It made recommendations.
82.
The United Kingdom welcomed progress made in implementing its
recommendations to Estonia during the first review, including the ratification of the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and legal recognition of same-sex
partners. It encouraged the full implementation of the strategy on integration. It made
recommendations.
83.
The delegation stated that the 2015 amendments to the Constitution had lowered the
minimum age for voting in local elections to 16 years. The Government was considering
granting prisoners the right to participate in elections.
84.
The use of electronic voting systems had reached 30 per cent during the 2015
elections. The “I-voting” system had been continually monitored and improved to ensure
privacy and confidentiality. The confidentiality of personal data was protected by several
security measures. Legal remedies were in place in the event of a breach of confidentiality
in personal data management.
85.
The delegation recalled that Estonia was one of the most active advocates of
cybersecurity and that Estonia had launched a number of key initiatives related thereto.
Estonia utilized technological solutions to protect personal data within the state information
system. Over 150 inspections had been carried out by data protection inspectors in 2015 as
a part of their mandate to oversee that data protection regulations were met. Additionally,
the Government had conducted an in-depth analysis of existing legislation and its
implementation in practice in order to improve further the level of protection of personal
data in telecommunication. Estonia envisaged introducing a more effective distinction
between different approaches and situations in which retained data might be used,
narrowing the scope and laying down more tailor-made provisions for different areas,
including criminal proceedings and national security.
86.
The Constitution entitled everyone, including prisoners, to the right to judicial
review in cases of human rights violations. In that regard, several improvements had been
made to the work of the judiciary. The average duration of court proceedings had been
11
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents