Commission welcomes new commitment on economic and social rights

The Scottish Human Rights Commission welcomes the First Minister’s announcement today of a new process to make recommendations on how best to protect and enhance economic, social, cultural, environmental and other rights.

The Commission has strongly and consistently advocated for the enforceability of international human rights treaty standards, including economic, social and cultural rights.[i] In December 2015 at an “Innovation Forum” held by the Commission, the First Minister publicly recognised that making international human rights enforceable in domestic law is an “important part of the debate in ensuring people’s rights are at the heart of everything government does.”[ii]

Kavita Chetty, Head of Strategy and Legal for the Commission, said:

“We look forward to fully engaging with all efforts to advance the ambition of the fuller protection of rights. The Commission hopes the process initiated by the Government today will be fully participatory, engaging people across Scotland in a meaningful debate about the future of human rights in the current context. We look forward to concrete actions emerging from this process to advance the protection and implementation of all human rights in practice.

ENDS

[i] More information about the Commission’s work advocating for the incorporation of economic, social and cultural rights

[ii] Read the First Ministers speech in 2015 and related conference materials