Over 200 assessments of government action on human rights released

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has today released over 200 assessments of whether the central and Welsh governments have taken action to address human rights recommendations made by the UN.

Included are over 140 assessments of central government actions and over 60 assessments of Welsh Government actions on devolved matters. They span a range of human rights issues, from education to voting rights.

The EHRC will be updating the Human Rights Tracker assessments periodically.

Notable in the Tracker assessments were:

• the introduction of a significant piece of legislation – the UK Online Safety Act 2003 – to help prevent online bullying as well as the Welsh Government action plan to prevent peer-on-peer sexual harassment in education settings
• Some action towards updating the Mental Health Act in line with the UN recommendation
• the lack of action from both central and Welsh governments to prohibit the use of restraint in educational settings
• the lack of action from both central and Welsh governments to introduce a legal duty on local authorities to provide funds for parents of deaf children wishing to learn sign language

This Human Rights Tracker is just one of the many ways the EHRC is monitoring equality and human rights in the UK. Other methods include our UN treaty monitoring.  In February, for example, the EHRC will publish a submission to the United Nations on the UK’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), updating them on how relevant rights are enjoyed and what has changed since the last review in 2016.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

Since it launched in 2019, the EHRC’s Human Rights Tracker has provided important information on how well the central and Welsh governments have put their international human rights obligations into practice.

The EHRC is now adapting the Tracker’s assessment approach so that people can easily view actions taken against the UN recommendations, and what work remains.

The Human Rights Tracker will act as a useful tool for anyone with an interest in human rights, encouraging the monitoring of recommendations, work to implement them, and making Britain a fairer place for all.

Today marks a new phase in the National Human Rights Institution’s leading human rights monitoring tool. The assessments in the Tracker will now focus on the action the central and Welsh governments have or have not taken in response to UN committee recommendations.

The ambition behind this change in methodology is to bridge a gap between the UN recommendations, which consider topics ranging from adequate housing to voting rights, and government policy-making and legislation.

To view actions the central and Welsh governments have taken to improve human rights, against the recommendations made by the UN, use our updated Human Rights Tracker.

For a fuller picture of UK compliance with international human rights obligations and enjoyment of human rights, please also see our treaty monitoring reports, Equality and Human Rights Monitor 2023, Is Wales Fairer 2023 and advice to governments and parliaments.