Commission highlights work on housing and human rights defenders

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has recently made two important statements to the United Nations. The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.

The Commission has highlighted the work that is has been doing in partnership with Edinburgh Tenants’ Federation and ‘Participation and the Practice of Rights’ to support residents of social housing to use economic, social and cultural rights to challenge poor housing conditions in Leith, Edinburgh. This statement forms part of a broader debate on the report of the UN Special Rapporteur and adequate house which considers homelessness as a global human rights crisis directly linked to increased inequality of wealth and property, requiring urgent attention. The statement on housing can be read in full here.

The Commission has also joined the national human rights institutions for the other parts of the UK in giving a joint statement on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, highlighting issues around access to justice, funding and restrictions on human rights defenders in the UK. The statement on human rights defenders can be read in full here.