In the Government's Human Rights Report submitted to Parliament in 2014, the Government pledged to prepare a national action plan on promoting fundamental and human rights in Finland at the beginning of the following government term. The Government took a decision in principle to accept the National Action Plan on Fundamental and Human Rights for 2017–2019 on 16 February, 2017.

The objective of the Action Plan is to promote the obligation of the public authority to guarantee the observance of basic rights and liberties and human rights as stipulated in Section 22 of the Constitution. The measures taken under the Action Plan are designed to act on identified problems with fundamental and human rights and to complement the work being carried out in various policy sectors to promote fundamental and human rights.

In preparing the Action Plan, particular note has been taken of the Human Rights Report’s policies, the recommendations to Finland from international treaty monitoring bodies, the Government Programme’s policies, the views of the overseers of legality and the special ombudsmen, as well as the areas of concern raised by non-governmental organisations. The legal basis of the Action Plan is constituted by the basic rights and liberties guaranteed in the Constitution, the international and regional human rights treaties ratified by Finland as well as the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

In accordance with the independent assessment of the Government’s first National Action Plan on Fundamental and Human Rights (2012–2013) and the recommendations of Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee, the National Action Plan will focus on promoting the implementation of fundamental and human rights in specific areas. The main areas the National Action Plan will focus on are fundamental and human rights education, equality, the right to self-determination as well as fundamental rights and digitalisation. The Action Plan includes a total of 43 projects which are spread across the administrative branches of all ministries