Monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the signatory states.

The signatory states must report to the Committee regularly on the status of children’s rights and well-being in their own country.  In Finland, ministries, several authorities and non-governmental organizations specialising in children's issues participate in the periodic reporting. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for preparing the Government report; in addition, the Ombudsman for Children, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Human Rights Centre as well as non-governmental organisations may submit their own reports.

In response, the Committee issues conclusions and recommendations to the signatory states in order to promote the rights of children in the signatory state.

Concluding observations 2023 of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Finland and published concluding observations on June 2023.

• Concluding observations on the combined fifth and sixth reports of Finland

Processing the latest periodic report

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child processed the periodic report by the State of Finland in 2022-2023. As a part of the process, the report of the Ombudsman for Children was handed over and the Ombudsman participated in the hearing of the committee.

• The combined fifth and sixth periodic report of the Government of Finland (pdf) (2019)

• Ombudsman for Children's Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (pdf) (July 2022)

• Ombudsman for Children's Statement to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (pdf) (September 2022)

• Committee on the Rights of the Child: List of issues in relation to the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Finland (2022) (pdf)

• Written replies by the Government of Finland to the list of issues (March 2023)

• Ombudsman for Children's statement to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the list of issues and the Government's replies thereto (April 2023)

Previous hearings

• Ombudsman for Children's Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (pdf) (2011)