61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Item 3 - Interactive Dialogue with SR on the right to privacy.
Statement delivered by H.E Ambassador Riia Salsa-Audiffren on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
10 March 2026
Mr President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States. We thank the Special Rapporteur for presenting her report to the Council.
Our countries attach great importance to the full respect and protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, including person’s rights to privacy and personal data protection, that should not be diminished by the rapid developments in the digital age.
We share the Special Rapporteur’s view that the fact that the international data collector is not present in the country of the data subject should not generate or facilitate impunity or a lack of protection of the rights of individuals.
The report highlights that there is a lack of legally binding measures aimed at protecting the rights of individuals from violations that might occur as a result of, or in connection with, the international collection of personal data. In this context it is important to recall that the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data provides a comprehensive framework for data protection. The Convention, which has been in place since 1981 and recently modernized, is open for accession from all states.
In addition, States should cooperate with one another and with data protection authorities to ensure the proper processing of personal data to address the international collection of personal data.
Madam Special Rapporteur, what further steps should be taken to encourage more countries to adopt and foster data protection laws in order to avoid “data havens”?
I thank you!