On 26 March 2024, Parliamentary Ombudsman Petri Jääskeläinen nominated a new Human Rights Delegation to serve a term from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2028. The Delegation has 28 members, who are listed in the appended nomination decision. A total of 101 people applied to join the Human Rights Delegation. 

The Human Rights Delegation is an organ of the Human Rights Centre, which began operating in administrative connection with the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman at the beginning of 2012. In accordance with the law, the Human Rights Delegation has 20-40 members consisting of researchers into fundamental and human rights as well as representatives of other bodies engaged in promoting and protecting fundamental and human rights. 

This is the fourth Human Rights Delegation to be nominated. The Director of the Human Rights Centre chairs the Delegation.

Duties of the Human Rights Delegation

The Delegation deals with matters of far-reaching significance and principal importance in the field of fundamental and human rights and approves the Human Rights Centre’s plan of action and annual report each year. It also functions as a national cooperative body for actors in the sector of fundamental and human rights. 

Together with the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Human Rights Centre, the Human Rights Delegation constitute a National Human Rights Institution in accordance with the Paris Principles. 

The Delegation may have working committees and divisions to organise its activities. Of these, the Division for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been a permanent division since 2016 due to the obligations deriving from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). 

The statutory duty of the Human Rights Centre is to promote the implementation of fundamental and human rights. Together with the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Human Rights Centre, the Human Rights Delegation constitute a National Human Rights Institution in accordance with the Paris Principles.

Further information is available from Secretary General Jari Råman, tel. +358 9 432 3333 and Deputy Director of the Human Rights Centre Susan Villa, tel. +358 9 432 3738. 

Nomination decision (in Finnish)