Human Rights Tracker Design Group minutes: January 2026

Attendees and apologies

• Charlie McMillan, Human Rights Consortium Scotland
• Maria Doyle, Together
• Professor Alan Miller, University of Strathclyde
• Rhona Willder, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
• Stewart MacLachlan, Amnesty International
• Emma Hunter, Observer, Children and Young People Commissioner
• Eilidh Dickson, Scottish Human Rights Commission
• Christopher Clannachan, Equality Network
• Charlotte Thomas, Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland
• Rebecca Richard, Inclusion Scotland
• Nicki Georghiou, Scottish Parliament
• Euan Donald, Scottish Parliament

Scottish Government

• Kavita Chetty, Deputy Director, Human Rights and Disability Equalities Division
• Officials from the Human Rights and Disability Equalities Division

Apologies

• Brianna Fletcher, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Farah Farzana, Scottish Council Equality Network
• Rob Gowans, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed all to the meeting, including new members Charlotte Thomas from Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS) and Rebecca Richard from Inclusion Scotland.

Minutes of previous meeting

Members asked for clarification of the scope of treaties to be included at the phase 1 launch of the Tracker. The Chair confirmed that the current position is that recommendations from the UN core human rights treaties to which the UK is a signatory will be included in the Tracker at launch.

No further points regarding the minutes were raised and Chair confirmed that they will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Live demo from Impact OSS of Human Rights Tracker Scotland and feedback

The Chair confirmed that Scottish Government development of the Tracker is ongoing and that a contract with Impact OSS is now in place. The Tracker is to launch in March 2026 (with a launch date to be confirmed) and the intention is to include tagging functionality and simplification of the recommendations.

The Chair noted that design ideas for the Tracker will be shared with members for comment in the coming weeks. Views are welcome and will be considered, though it may not be possible to make significant changes between now and the Tracker’s launch. Feedback is also welcome beyond launch and into the next phases of the work.

Impact OSS presented the key work of the organisation and showcased the New Zealand version of a tracker – the New Zealand Human Rights Monitor – which will have a similar set-up. The ‘in-development’ version of the Scottish Tracker was then showcased, with the layout and design subject to change following feedback.

Overview of approach to categorising and simplifying recommendations for the Tracker

Officials presented the user roles and authentication features for the Tracker, along with the Scottish Government’s approach to categorising recommendations, and noted that:

• the approach taken for the Scottish Tracker mirrors that taken by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, with information categorised along human rights themes and issues, adapted to reflect the Scottish context and priorities

Members were invited to provide views on the overall approach and specific wording of the categories by 13 February.

Officials presented the Scottish Government’s suggested approach to simplification of recommendations, highlighting that:

• the Tracker will display both the original treaty body text and the simplified recommendation where appropriate
• the approach also mirrors that taken by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and has been tailored to the Scottish policy context, while retaining policy language
• the language will need to be agreed with lawyers and Ministers and does not commit Ministers to delivering on the recommendations
• consideration will be given to Child Friendly versions in Phase 2

In the discussion that followed, members provided the following reflections:

• need to consider whether simplification of the recommendations creates too much work without adding value in terms of usability, particularly if the simplified versions retain policy language which may not be accessible to all
• simplification of the recommendations also risks losing nuance within the full text of the recommendations
• potential need to further disaggregate categories in order to improve usability
• the EHRC categorisations were based on its strategic priorities and may need further consideration to fit the Scottish context
• categories will need to be revised in step with changes in the Scottish landscape (e.g. around Neurodiversity and mental health law review or change of administration)
• care will need to be taken to ensure that the intersectional aspect of recommendations is not lost, and to ensure that the right recommendations appear when applying filters

Scottish Government noted that the categories will continue to be refined further to feedback, with scope for members to participate in user testing in February and beyond the Tracker’s launch.

Overview of Impact Assessments and user testing plans

Scottish Government confirmed that the Equality Impact Assessment, Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment, and Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment have been conducted and will be published in March 2026 alongside the launch of the Tracker.
An overview of the analysis was shared – the Tracker is likely to have a neutral impact on equality groups, although it may indirectly advance equality through enhanced implementation efforts.

While the primary user group has low levels of digital exclusion, wider users may still experience this. Mitigations have been put in place to minimise the impact including developing the Tracker using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2, tagging and simplification of recommendations, conducting an accessibility audit, designing the platform to be compatible with both computer and mobile devices, and seeking feedback from members of the Design Group and wider stakeholders.

The Tracker will also operate in the context of wider Scottish Government initiatives that address digital exclusion such as Connecting Scotland, Digital Champion model and infrastructure investment programmes.

Members were invited to share initial views during the meeting and provide further views in writing by 30 January.
In the discussion that followed, members provided the following reflections:

• on the question on whether the Tracker would be available in other languages, the Chair confirmed that there are currently no immediate plans for this, but it can be considered for future iterations.
• in response to whether video explainers and child friendly language will be included, the Chair noted the intent to develop and expand the Tracker and to consider child-friendly language in line with feedback into phase 2 and beyond.

AOB

On the question of a communications plan for the launch of the Tracker, the Chair noted that this will be considered as part of the launch event and that Design Group members are also encouraged to disseminate the news about the Tracker’s launch to their networks.

Actions

• officials will send an email to Design Group members with information on how to provide views on design over the upcoming weeks
• Design Group members to provide feedback on the impact assessments via correspondence by 30 January
• Design Group members to provide further feedback on the categorisation approach and wording via correspondence by 13 February
• officials to contact members once the platform is ready for user-testing and once a launch date is confirmed