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xScotland to be reviewed on implementation of economic, social and cultural rights
Date: 13th February 2023
Category:
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
Human rights organisations across Scotland are preparing for the UK’s next review by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Consortium Scotland have recently submitted reports to assist the UN Committee in preparing for the review and to suggest questions that it should raise with government officials.
Scottish Human Rights Commission report
This report follows round table discussions gathering evidence of areas of particular concern to civil society organisations.
The Commission sets out information on areas of particular concern to support the Committee’s dialogue with government officials and development of a List of Issues Prior to the Review (LOIPR). The LOIPR is a list of questions that the UK and devolved governments must answer.
These economic, social and cultural issues all impact the basic needs, livelihoods and wellbeing of children in Scotland. Issues which were raised include the economic social and cultural impact of COVID-19, poverty and socio-economic equality and the cost of living crisis. Some of the proposed questions that the Commission included related to: reforms of the Scottish Education system, the establishment of the new devolved social security system and agency, and the human rights legal framework in the UK and Scotland.
Human Rights Consortium Scotland report
The Human Rights Consortium Scotland along with multiple other civil society organisations have submitted a joint report.
The report calls for urgent action on UNCRC incorporation, asking “will the government prioritise progressing amendments to the UNCRC Incorporation Bill so that it can be commenced as soon as possible?” The report includes other questions concerning children’s rights in Scotland such as concerning issues like racism in education and migrants right to education, the right to a healthy environment and the need to put it into Scots law.