UN report on economic, social and cultural rights in the UK and Scotland
- Area of Work: Policy and Research
- Type: News Item
- Published: 6th March 2025
The UN ICESCR Committee has issued its recommendations and several reflect points made by the ALLIANCE and our members.
The role of the independent UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is to guide and monitor implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The ICESCR contains rights like the right to health, housing, and food. The Committee receives regular reports from governments about what they are doing to realise these rights, and issues recommendations.
In February 2025, the UN Committee examined the periodic report of the UK, including Scotland. The ALLIANCE submitted a ‘parallel’ report to the Committee, as did several of our members like the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities, Engender, and the Human Rights Consortium Scotland.
The Committee has now issued what are called its ‘concluding observations’, and we are pleased that some reflect our own recommendations. For example:
- Progress needs to be made to incorporate economic, social and cultural rights in Scotland.
- UK fiscal policy is not doing enough to address inequality, and action should be taken to assess the impact of fiscal policy on economic, social and cultural rights, and disadvantaged groups.
- The budgets for social security, health and other ICESCR rights should be increased.
- Disability-related social security, including PIP and ESA, should adequately cover additional disability-related costs in line with the human rights model of disability.
- Actions need to be stepped up so that everyone has access to affordable energy and heating.
- Mental health services and systems need sufficient resources, strengthened community-based support, initiatives that destigmatize mental health issues and targeted measures for groups disproportionately affected by mental health problems.
Read the UN Committee’s full concluding observations on the UK (including Scotland)
Find out more about the ALLIANCE’s work on human rights, and if you want to discuss anything, please email us at policy@alliance-scotland.org.uk.
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