Equality and human rights mainstreaming action plan
Brings together 61 equality and human rights mainstreaming actions from across the Scottish Government in one accessible plan, supporting equality, diversity and inclusion in policy and practice.
Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement
The Action Plan has been shaped by consultation and engagement. As part of the consultation on the Mainstreaming Strategy, we proposed developing a complementary Action Plan.
The consultation paper explained that the Action Plan would:
- bring together existing mainstreaming actions already underway
- address feedback that previous commitments were too broad and lacked clear timeframes
- focus on actions aligned with the key drivers of the Mainstreaming Strategy
- be updated every year, with progress reporting linked to statutory duties
Stakeholders were broadly supportive. They recognised the importance of bringing mainstreaming actions into a single, accessible, and transparent document. Many highlighted the potential for the Action Plan to improve alignment across government, reduce duplication, and support more effective monitoring and accountability.
We recognise that an Action Plan must be supported by robust governance to drive meaningful change. Stakeholders asked for clear, measurable commitments, backed by a strong monitoring system and a cultural shift within government.
Stakeholders also highlighted the importance of treating the Action Plan as a living document, regularly updated to reflect progress, respond to emerging challenges, and incorporate new commitments.
There was strong support for continued engagement with equality and human rights organisations, public bodies, and people with lived experience to ensure that the Action Plan remains relevant and impactful.
In response, this first iteration of the Action Plan:
- brings together a wide range of existing commitments into one accessible document
- includes measurable actions aligned with the six drivers of the Mainstreaming Strategy
- commits to annual updates
The Action Plan sets out a specific commitment to establish and publish a governance framework by summer 2026, to support the delivery and accountability of this Plan.
This first Plan includes actions drawn from existing commitments, such as responses to the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG), the Scottish Government’s Equality Outcomes 2025-29 and more.
Future updates of the Plan will include further actions identified through ongoing engagement across government. We will also use the information in the Action Plan to assess where we are making progress against the mainstreaming drivers, and where more needs to be done.
Through this plan, the Scottish Government is seeking to lead by example. We aim to show how public bodies can consider mainstreaming equality and human rights in a way that is ambitious, open, and effective.