Hansard

I thank Christine Grahame and the Justice Committee for promoting the debate. It provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the journey that we have all taken in giving further and better effect to human rights over the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament. It provides, too, a chance to reflect on the work that remains to be done, and serves as a sobering opportunity to recall the real and present danger to our human rights—not least from some of the illiberal and regressive policies that the current United Kingdom Government promotes. I will say more about our response to that continuing threat in my closing remarks.

First I want to talk about Scotland’s achievements. I want to recognise the actions that the Scottish Government, this Parliament, Scotland’s wider public sector and Scottish civil society as a whole have taken in order to acknowledge Scotland’s international human rights obligations. We have a shared vision: a vision for a Scotland in which respecting, protecting and realising human rights enables everyone in our society to live with human dignity. We are, in this Parliament, united in the belief that all human beings have equal worth, and that all of us are entitled to the same fundamental protections and freedoms.

As a Government, we have argued that the cause of human rights is also the cause of social justice. A socially just society is one that embeds human rights at every level, one in which every one of us enjoys genuine equality of opportunity, and one in which we acknowledge a fundamental bond of solidarity and the principle that no member of our society should be left behind. Those principles transcend political divisions. At their heart lies the fundamental challenge of making rights real in everyday life for individuals and communities across the whole of Scotland. That means embedding human rights not in some abstract theoretical sense, but—as Christine Grahame said—as part and parcel of how Scotland functions at every level. It means addressing not merely the important civil and political rights that historically have received greatest attention, but the economic, social and cultural rights that are every bit as essential to our ability to function as an inclusive, successful and socially just nation.

The renewed emphasis that has been given to the full spectrum of human rights—civil, political, economic, social and cultural—provides some of the most powerful evidence of the progress that we have made. By reasserting the importance of the full spectrum of human rights, and by recognising the direct connection between rights and real-life concerns, we are working to strengthen our devolved democracy.

We are working to build a Scotland in which fairness, equality, social justice and fundamental human dignity can genuinely be regarded as normal features of everyday life for all members of our society. As a Government we have made our own contribution to realising that vision. The action that we are taking to promote fair work and a living wage is a good example of our work towards that vision. We have emphasised the importance of not just economic growth, but growth that is also sustainable and inclusive. We have been working to close the education attainment gap and to address gender stereotypes. A rights-based approach is one reason why we have opposed the UK Government’s Trade Union Bill, and we are committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same freedom, choice, dignity and control that we all expect to enjoy in our daily lives. We have recently consulted on a draft disability delivery plan, which will contribute to implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Scotland has directly recognised the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in law through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Perhaps the clearest possible example of the need for human rights to inform action is the refugee crisis. As a nation, we recognise our obligation to those who are fleeing war and persecution, which is why Scotland has already promised to play a full part in offering sanctuary to those who need it. Such work demonstrates that the key challenge for any progressive modern democracy lies not in finding ways to avoid human rights responsibilities, but in finding ways to embed those responsibilities throughout our work.

As members know, 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of two of the core treaties of the international human rights framework: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Those covenants remain as relevant today as they were when they were originally drafted. Today’s debate provides a welcome reminder of their salience, and of the importance of our efforts here in Scotland to give further and better effect to those obligations.

I therefore invite members around the chamber to look back with pride on our achievements and the progress that Scotland has made. Let us also look ahead with confidence and commitment, and with a belief in the value of collaborative action, to continuing that work in the next session of the Scottish Parliament and beyond.