Human rights

International human rights

We continue to work with UK and international organisations to safeguard and promote the increasing observance of international human rights standards and obligations.

International human rights standards and obligations

There are nine core UN international human rights treaties, of which the following seven have been ratified by the UK:

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
• UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT)
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

Although the UK is the State party to these treaties, they encompass both reserved and devolved matters. Therefore, in many areas it is for the Scottish Government to consider, observe and implement the treaty rights in devolved areas.

For each of the treaties, a committee of experts monitors implementation and regularly reviews each State party. We actively participate in reviews, including through contributing to UK State party reports and participating in dialogues with expert committees, so that they reflect Scotland’s distinctive approach to protecting, promoting and realising human rights.

UN treaty body engagement 

• in November 2025, we published our ICESCR High Level Action Plan which sets out the activity we are taking to respond to the Concluding Observations made by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN Committee) during the seventh State party review of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• in August 2025, we contributed to the United Kingdom’s response to the Universal Periodic Review mid-term report. mid-term report
• in August 2024, we participated in the UN examination on CRPD
• in August 2024, we contributed to the UK’s response to the ICESCR List of Issues. We participated in the UN examination on ICESCR in February 2025
• in March 2024, we participated in the UN examination on ICCPR
• in January 2024, we published a response to the Universal Periodic Review’s recommendations. The response provides information about actions we are taking forward to give effect to the recommendations
• in May 2023, we took part in the UN examination on UNCRC. In March 2024, we published our initial response to the Committee’s Concluding Observations
• in May 2023, we contributed to the UK’s response to the ICERD List of Issues and we took part in the UK delegation during the UN examination on racial discrimination in August 2024
• in October 2022, we published a summary of our UN reporting activity up to 2022  in our position statement for the Universal Periodic Review
• n November 2022, we published a position statement to set out the actions taken in devolved areas to implement ICESCR

International Special Rapporteurs

Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.

Various visits and engagements have taken place, including:

• In October 2022, the First Minister met the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
• In May 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture met the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967
• In May 2023, Scottish ministers met with the UN Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• In February 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls visited the UK and Scotland and met with Scottish Government representatives. In November 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights

Human rights defenders

We want to foster a culture of accountability and participation in decision-making which provides the conditions for human rights defenders to carry out their work effectively. This includes working with civil society and stakeholders who advocate for defenders in Scotland.

We support the work of international human rights defenders, which is often undertaken at great personal risk, through funding and support for the Scottish Human Rights Defender Fellowship. The Fellowship has been delivered by the University of Dundee since its inception in 2018 with the support of Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, Peace Brigades International and other civil society and academic contributors.

The Fellowship is a human rights protection mechanism which provides temporary relocation to at risk defenders to support them to spend several months in Scotland, where they can continue their vital work from a place of safety. It also supports defenders to further build capacity and confidence in leadership, advocacy, and security and protection in order to engage and participate in advocacy and policy making in the field of human rights and human rights protection mechanisms.

The Fellowship has welcomed 21 defenders from 17 different countries to Scotland and has made a wide impact, including:

• supporting hundreds of defenders through its network
• supported alumni to establish international human rights organisations and programmes
• contributed to the development of internationally recognised guidance and policies
• been commended by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
• been recognised by leading international human rights protection organisations as best practice