A/HRC/34/33
and other agencies had their specific competencies and responsibilities with regard to
policy, such as health, education, labour, women’s rights, children’s rights, migrants and
vulnerable groups. These bodies developed their own sector-specific work plans to
discharge their mandates. To be effective, policy implementation had to be intersectoral,
taking into account local, regional and national specificities. This work also had to be
informed by the recommendations made by the international human rights mechanisms. Mr.
Burneo pointed out the importance of involving not only the executive branch of the
Government in the implementation of human rights, given the growing interest in human
rights among, for example, the judiciary. This could be an important focus area for
technical assistance.
64.
Mr. Burneo stressed that inclusive policymaking depended on human rights being
reaffirmed through national legal and constitutional guarantees that were compliant with the
State’s international obligations. Of equal importance was that the State had a clear political
will and commitment to translate legal obligations into positive change. For this to happen,
effective institutions responsible for coordinating government action were necessary.
Effective policymaking and implementation also depended on full respect for the principle
of non-discrimination and meaningful participation of civil society and representatives of
vulnerable groups in all stages of the process. State institutions responsible for monitoring
and follow-up needed to have at their disposal reliable information and human rights
indicators that show the extent of State compliance with its international obligations. Mr.
Burneo underlined the importance of the OHCHR technical cooperation programme as a
source of guidance and advice in the development of national policies in the field of human
rights. In this regard, OHCHR had an important role to play in systematizing the
recommendations of the treaty bodies, the special procedures and the universal periodic
review so that information was more readily accessible to Governments and other actors.
65.
In her intervention, Judith Robertson, Chairperson of the Scottish Human Rights
Commission, emphasized the role of national plans of action on human rights as a means
for embedding rights in the implementation of national policy agendas, as recognized and
set out in Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by consensus at the World
Conference on Human Rights in 1993.
66.
Ms. Robertson explained that Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights
(SNAP), launched in 2013, was a road map for collective action across Scotland to make
human rights a reality for everyone. Based on evidence and broad participation, the plan
had been developed by a drafting group whose members came from the public and
voluntary sectors. An advisory council, whose members reflected the diversity of Scottish
civic life, oversaw the process.
67.
SNAP was not a traditional plan of action, but rather a transformative programme of
action that included agreed outcomes, priorities and an implementation process for 20132017. It had fostered coordinated action by a wide range of public bodies and voluntary
organizations aimed at achieving the vision of a Scotland where everyone could live with
human dignity, and where social justice, equality and empowerment were the hallmarks of
society.
68.
The overall vision of SNAP could not be achieved quickly, although it was what
drove everything that takes place through its implementation. The first iteration of SNAP
was a four-year plan, but the first stage of a longer process. The change that SNAP sought
was a sustainable human rights culture in all areas of life. This cultural change was being
facilitated by public bodies and organizations that took a human rights-based approach to
their work. SNAP drew on international human rights standards and the principles of a
human rights-based approach.
13
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents