Scotland can become human rights leader, advisory group reports

A new human rights framework for Scotland, setting out in one place all rights belongng to people in the country, has been recommended by an independent advisory group to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Released to coincide with International Human Rights Day, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership has published its recommendations on how human rights leadership can be exercised in and by Scotland.

Central to these recommendations is an Act of the Scottish Parliament to establish a new human rights framework to improve people’s lives. It would set out for the first time and in the one place the rights belonging to everyone in Scotland, including not only the rights already provided by the Human Rights Act but additional rights drawn from UN treaties including economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.

The 10-strong advisory group, which operates independently from the Scottish Government, was set up by the First Minister as part of the 2018 Programme for Government, to make recommendations on how Scotland can continue to lead by example in the field of human rights.

In addition to the new legal framework, it calls for:

• a public participatory process as a vital part of the preparation of the Act and its implementation;
• capacity-building to enable effective implementation of the Act to improve people’s lives;
• a Scottish Government national mechanism for monitoring, reporting and implementation of human rights;
• development of human rights indicators for Scotland’s National Performance Framework;
• a process of implementation of recommendations, to be led by a National Task Force;
• integration of any further devolved powers into the framework, and, in the event of independence, a written constitution including a Bill of Rights for Scotland.

Speaking on the publication of the report, Professor Alan Miller, who chairs the advisory group, commented: “There is an urgent need of human rights leadership in today’s world, so we were delighted that the First Minister asked us for recommendations on how Scotland can lead by example.

“The leadership steps that Scotland needs to take are clear. The internationally recognised human rights belong to everyone in Scotland and must be put into our law. As importantly, they must then be put into everyday practice. In this way people are empowered to lead lives of human dignity, to have a sense of self-worth.”

Click here to access the recommendations and for further information on the group.