What is our international role?

The Commission is the national human rights institution (NHRI) for Scotland. The Commission is committed to acting as a bridge between national and international experiences on human rights, and giving Scotland a place in the international arena.

The Commission conforms to a set of recommendations called the Paris Principles which outline our role, status and functions. The Paris Principles set out that we have a broad mandate, are independent of Governments and Parliaments, and that we can contribute to international reviews of the human rights in our own country. By abiding by these guidelines the Commission will be able to represent Scotland within the United Nations human rights system.

In June 2010 the Commission achieved the highest level of accreditation from the United Nations known as having ‘Grade A’ status. Only 67 countries within the UN system have independent commissions holding this level of accreditation. This allows the Commission to report directly to the UN on human rights issues such as the rights of older people, health, business, and climate change and human rights, and to make contributions to the Human Rights Council. Read the news release about our accreditation.

In May 2011 the Commission was elected as Chair of the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions. The European Group is one of four regional groups which bring together human rights bodies from all over the world, made up of 35 human rights institutions from Portugal to Azerbijan, Luxembourg to Greece, and works alongside regional groups from Africa, Asia / Pacific and the Americas.

Our role with human rights and climate change

The changing climate is one of the most serious challenges we face, with communities across the world affected in many ways by our changing weather and rising temperatures. The Commission will play its part internationally by advocating climate justice and participating in global forums to make sure that the rights of people elsewhere are respected, protected and fulfilled. The Commission currently represents the European national human rights institutions in an international working group of national human rights institutions on climate change and human rights.

Our role with human rights and business

We all live in a globablised world, where trade, communications and travel affect our markets and governments, and us as workers and consumers.

Increasingly, it is not just the state which influences our lives, but non-state actors such as large multinational companies. Because of the increased role played by corporate actors, the United Nations human rights machinery is considering the scope of business' human rights responsibilities and exploring ways for corporate actors to be accountable for the impact of their activities on human rights. The Commission currently represents the European national human rights institutions on an ICC working group to examine business and human rights.