Third UN "A Status" award for Commission

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has achieved the top grade of international accreditation as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) for the third time.

This awarded “A Status” from the Global Alliance of NHRIs and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recognises the Commission’s independence, authority and broad statutory mandate to promote and protect human rights. The Commission is one of over 100 National Human Rights Institutions around the globe.

The decision was made by a Committee of National Human Rights Institutions from around the world, following an extensive review of the Commission and its work in Scotland. This review took place against a set of detailed standards endorsed by the United Nations in 1993, known as the Paris Principles.

The Committee’s accreditation report commends the Commission’s work to promote and protect human rights. It also recommends increases to the Commission’s resources and changes to its underpinning legislation to strengthen its operations.

***Find out more in this Question and Answer briefing***

‘Opportunity for Scotland’

Welcoming the news, Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said:

“We are delighted to be awarded “A Status” accreditation for a third time. This demonstrates the confidence that the international human rights system has in the Commission’s work as an independent, authoritative National Human Rights Institution.

“The Commission’s independence enables us to promote and protect all international human rights in Scotland with authority and in line with international legal standards. This will be vital as we look to secure stronger human rights laws in Scotland, while continuing to monitor, report on and seek changes to address concerns about how people’s rights are realised in practice.” 

“Our re-accreditation also secures our status in the international arena. It means that we can continue to report directly to the UN on Scotland’s implementation of international human rights treaties and make direct contributions to the Human Rights Council. We will next do this when we deliver Scotland’s Human Rights Report Card to the UN in March 2022.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact emma.hutton@scottishhumanrights.com or call 07833 402289

Notes to Editors:  

  1. The Commission’s full duties and powers are set out in the Scottish Commission for Human Rights Act 2006.
  1. The Accreditation process is carried out by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA), which is part of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). Find out more about the accreditation process.  
  1. The accreditation process assesses compliance with the Paris Principles.
  1. As an A-Status NHRI, the Commission is the only Scottish organisation that can make direct contributions to the UN Human Rights Council on human rights issues.