Equality and human rights mainstreaming action plan

Future Work

We are also mindful of upcoming Scottish Government work that will support the mainstreaming of equality and human rights. It is our intention to explore how actions in new delivery plans might align with this Action Plan.

Some key examples include the following.

Equality Strategy for Women and Girls

• Scotland’s first Equality Strategy for Women and Girls will be co-designed with stakeholders and people with lived experience, and will be published by the end of March 2026.

A refreshed Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan

• The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan sets out a vision of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible.
• The next Delivery Plan is scheduled for 2026 and will contain a focused selection of strategic actions that will make the most significant progress towards our overall vision for health and social care reform.

Education Reform Programme

• In January 2025, the First Minister committed to eradicating racism through our anti-racist actions and policies. Similar commitments are in place in relation to gender equality through the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning and the LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group.
• The Education Reform programme, including the creation this year of new and reformed national bodies, the established Curriculum Improvement Cycle and the reform of qualifications, provide the opportunity to strengthen and embed the position of equalities and rights within our education system at all levels.
• The Post-School Education and Skills Reform Programme includes a project to improve careers support for individuals of all ages. Similar to the Education Reform Programme, we will embed equalities within this work, ensuring that career support is tailored and able to flex to meet the needs of all individuals, reflecting their own career ambitions and preferences.

Open Government Action Plan 2026-2030

• We are now commencing the co-creation of our fourth Open Government Action Plan. Initial themes for potential Action Plan commitments have been identified in collaboration with civil society:
• a trust and transparency strategy
• anti-corruption and accountability
• ethical use of digital technology and open information
• public participation
• Two phases of participatory engagement with the public and civil society will now develop these initial themes. This will be Scotland’s biggest Action Plan to date in terms of the scale and ambition of the work.

Equality Evidence Strategy 2026

• The next Equality Evidence Strategy will continue to prioritise improvements to equality and intersectional evidence across Scottish Government. This Strategy will be developed collaboratively with the Equality Data Improvement Programme Board, analysts, policymakers and external organisations interested in improving equality evidence. A draft of the Strategy will be ready for consultation by summer 2026 and a full Strategy published in late autumn 2026.

Women’s Health Plan 2026

• The first phase of the Women’s Health Plan has provided a solid foundation for us to build upon, but we know we have more to do.
• Our ambition is that women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives.
• This continues to be our guiding principle as we develop the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan which is expected to publish in January 2026.
• The next phase of the Women’s Health Plan will build on progress as well as focusing our efforts where they are needed most.