The International Picture

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Today we’re going to be talking about the international role of the Commission and it might seem strange that a public body from Scotland has an international role at all.

Those taking part:

• Jenifer Johnston,from the Scottish Human Rights Commission

• Gemma Neville, the Outreach Manager for the Commission.

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GN:     The thing is that fundamental Human Rights, so the right to life, the right not to suffer inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to the highest attainable standard of health and housing, these are truly international rights and the Commission is committed to learning from other countries and Commissions and to sharing our experience of Human Rights in Scotland with them.  There is over 80 National Human Rights Institutions worldwide of which the Scottish Human Rights Commission is one and we need to learn from other Human Rights Commissions, support them where needed and interact on issues of cross-cutting concern.  So the Commission is supportive of Human Rights Institutions that are under pressure and we contribute actively to international exchange to build a common capacity to promote and protect Human Rights worldwide.  For example, when our sister organisation in Palestine was under threat during the recent Gaza crisis, we issues a statement of support and we’ve offered to take part in the fact finding mission to attribute responsibility if war crimes were committed.

JJ:       In a world which is interconnected, some Human Rights concerns are truly global.  Gemma explains why the Scottish Human Rights Commission is acting in Scotland but on behalf of people on the other side of the world when it comes to climate change.

GN:     Well, at the moment, we’re chairing a regional group on two very important areas.  One is climate change and Human Rights and one is business and Human Rights.  In Scotland, we already feel the effects of climate change as increasingly global temperatures rise and our weather is affected.  We build our homes differently, we’re thinking to start about the way that we travel differently, how we consume energy and other goods, but Scotland also contributes to the global threat of climate change because our country creates exceeding emissions and this disproportionally impacts on the Human Rights of the most vulnerable populations elsewhere in the world, who consume less but who feel the effects of climate change more strongly.  So we’ll play our part internationally by advocating for climate change justice and participating in global forums to make sure that the rights of people elsewhere, often the rights of marginalised communities are respected, protected and fulfilled.

JJ:       Although Scotland doesn’t have a seat at the United Nations, the Commission is still active through it’s involvement in several UN programmes.  It is, for example, the UN’s monitor in Scotland on the treatment of people with disabilities.

GN:     Scotland’s not a member of the United Nations, but we do have distinct issues which affect Scotland different to the rest of the UK and the Commission has a monitoring role set down in our forming legislation where we will monitor UK International Human Rights obligations where they affect Scotland directly.  For example, the Commission is fulfilling its role under the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities by promoting awareness and accountability of the Human Rights of persons with disabilities in our work on Human Dignity and Care.  That’s our theme for the next three and a half years and we do this by monitoring the realisation of the rights of person with disabilities in a mapping project across Scotland and by protecting the rights of person with disabilities through exploring the potential for an enquiry into Human Rights and public procurement where it affects care services.

JJ:       The international dimension of the Commission’s work is crucial, says Gemma, because it gives a strong impression of Scotland abroad and the attention of the world gives the Commission power at home.

GN:     I think the Commission’s work internationally is one of the most exciting parts of our role.  It’s where we can show Scotland at its best on an international platform.  We can really show the best that Scotland has to offer in terms of being a fair and tolerant place to work and live.  But also we’ve got that leverage where we can highlight areas of concern and we can highlight them in a platform that is listened to.  No country wants to be shamed in an international audience on Human Rights, so governments do stand up and take note at what’s said here and we’ll use that responsibility very carefully and only when needed but we would ask all members of the public and civil society to help feed into our monitoring and review process so that we can best reflect the very best and the areas for improvement in Scotland.