Briefing - 75th Anniversary of the UDHR, Scotland (December 2023)

The 75th anniversary of the UDHR and the Scottish Human Rights Bill

The 75th anniversary of the UDHR is an opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to reaffirm its commitment to furthering human rights protections for everyone in Scotland.

As organisations who share a concern and commitment to see human rights better protected and realised in Scotland, we strongly welcome the Scottish Government’s ambitions to ‘create a legal framework for us to embed international human rights within domestic law and drive transformative, positive change for people – empowering them to claim their rights.’

Any MSP who has advocated on behalf of a constituent to access basic rights - from social care support, to safe and secure housing or essential healthcare – knows that we need transformative change. Passing the Human Rights Bill due to be introduced by June 2024, will be a significant step towards achieving that and it has overwhelming support from across civil society organisations. We therefore urge MSPs of all parties to support the aims of the Bill and work with civil society and the Scottish Government to ensure that the legislation is strengthened. It is time to put #AllOurRights into law for everyone.