Human Rights Council 61st Session
Interactive Dialogue with the SR in the field of cultural rights
Statement delivered by Finland on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States
3 March 2026

Mr President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for her report.

As highlighted in the report, cultural rights – protecting identities, values and ways of life – are important to the field of nature conservation and vice versa.

Cultural and natural heritage are interdependent, and safeguarding both is essential for the resilience, identity, and wellbeing of communities, including local communities, as well as of for Indigenous Peoples. The cultural connection with nature promotes environmental awareness and sustainable development, where traditional knowledge complements science-based nature conservation.

The safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage is structurally linked in international frameworks. We support the coherent framework through which UNESCO advances the protection of cultural rights as an integral component of nature conservation. UNESCO’s normative instruments provide a strong basis for aligning cultural rights with conservation policy, and their successful implementation requires political commitment and inclusive governance. The contribution of environmental human rights defenders is crucial.

We share the Special Rapporteur’s view that the protection of cultural rights should be an integral component of nature conservation. Moreover, conservation initiatives should be human rights-based, gender-transformative, inclusive, and participatory.

Special Rapporteur, how to encourage states to systematically integrate and strengthen cultural and natural heritage in all forms of education?

I thank you.