Scottish Human Rights Commission

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is the national human rights institution for Scotland. It was established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament and started its work in 2008. The Commission is independent of Government, and of the Scottish and Westminster Parliaments. It seeks to promote and protect the human rights of everyone in Scotland, working to increase awareness, recognition and respect for human rights, and make them more relevant and easier to apply in everyday life. The Commission aims to help everyone understand their rights and the shared responsibilities everyone has to each other and to their community.

The SHRC has an office in Edinburgh. It is a Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) supported body meaning that it is separate and independent from Government but still accountable for its public funds. The chair of the Commission is Judith Robertson.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission is the newest of the three national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the United Kingdom and, like the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it has secured "A status" accreditation from the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs (the ICC). The Scottish Parliament, when establishing the Commission in 2008, ensured that it complied with United Nations Principles Related to the Status of National Institutions, known as the Paris Principles – a series of recommendations on the role, status and functions of NHRIs. The Commission has a strong international profile and can participate in parallel reporting mechanisms for UN treaty processes. In October 2010 it hosted the biennial world conference of NHRIs in Edinburgh. The Commission was elected as chair of the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions during a meeting in Geneva on 17 May 2011, and re-elected to this post in May 2013

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