On Monday 10 December, International Human Rights Day 2018,  the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership will publish its recommendations on how human rights leadership can be exercised in and by Scotland. Central to these recommendations is a new framework of human rights to improve people’s daily lives.

Operating independently from the Scottish Government, the Advisory Group was set up by Scotland’s First Minister, as part of the 2018 Programme for Government.

It was set up to make recommendations on how Scotland can continue to lead by example in the field of human rights, including economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.

Speaking on the publication of the Report Chair of the Advisory Group, Professor Alan Miller said: “There is an urgent need of human rights leadership in today’s world, so we were delighted that the First Minister asked us for recommendations on how Scotland can lead by example.

“The leadership steps that Scotland needs to take are clear. The internationally recognised human rights belong to everyone in Scotland and must be put into our law. As importantly, they must then be put into everyday practice. In this way people are empowered to lead lives of human dignity, to have a sense of self-worth.”

As part of the new framework of human rights, the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership has recommended an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provides human rights leadership.

The Act will establish a new human rights framework to improve people’s lives. It will set out for the first time and in the one place the rights belonging to everyone in Scotland. The Act will include those rights already provided by the Human Rights Act and additional rights drawn from UN treaties including economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.