“The Chancellor of Justice Act specifies that the NHRI exercises supervision of the compliance of national legislation with international agreements. The SCA notes that in practice, the NHRI has carried out activities to raise awareness of the international human rights system.

The SCA notes that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)[1] expressed concern regarding the lack of institutional coordination and collaboration between the Office of the Chancellor of Justice and other relevant entities working on the rights of women.

It also notes that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)[2] expressed a number of concerns regarding the language policies in Estonia, in particular regarding their impact on enjoyment of rights of minorities. 

The Paris Principles recognise that monitoring developments in and engaging with the international human rights system, in particular the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms and the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies, can be an effective tool for NHRIs in the promotion and protection of human rights domestically. The SCA highlights that effective engagement with the international human rights system may include monitoring and promoting the implementation of relevant recommendations originating from the human rights system.

The SCA encourages the CoJ to monitor the implementation of recommendations addressed to the State of Estonia by Treaty Bodies. The SCA also recommends that the CoJ takes measures to continue to implement the recommendations from Treaty Bodies addressed to the NHRI, including in relation to cooperation with other national human rights bodies.

The SCA refers to Paris Principles A3(b)(c) and C(f)(g), and to its General Observation 1.4 on ‘Interaction with the international human rights system’ and to its General Observations 1.5 on ‘Cooperation with other human rights bodies’.

[1] CEDAW/C/EST/CO/7

[2] CERD/C/EST/CO/12-13