Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy

Overview

The Scottish Government is gathering views to help inform the Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy. 

The Strategy is fundamental to achieving positive change and a fairer, more equal, society in Scotland for all of those who live here. It is key to tackling persistent inequality in society and sustaining equality of opportunity for all of those who live in Scotland. By establishing a clear framework for the Scottish Government and wider public sector’s approach to mainstreaming the Strategy will benefit all of those who live in Scotland by providing the foundation for improved policy, with better and fairer outcomes for all.

The Strategy will provide the framework so that the Scottish Government and the wider public sector can apply a consistent focus on equality and human rights in policy and service delivery. It will guide the Scottish Government, the wider public sector, and our partners to improve embedding equality and human rights into all that we do. This will include an overall shared vision, a set of drivers and how we will achieve these to improve mainstreaming.

We intend that the Strategy will provide a focus for every element of mainstreaming. This covers a range, including: 

• removing systemic barriers 
• improving how decisions are made 
• establishing the culture, mindset and practice that ensures that the Scottish Government and public sector embed equality and human rights in policy-making and service delivery.

We also intend the Strategy to guide how we provide support to everyone who has a role in improving and supporting mainstreaming in the wider public sector. It will cover the next five years, until 2030. However, it will also set out a much longer-term approach to improve mainstreaming.

Read the consultation paper 
Read the Easy Read version

Why your views matter

The aims of the proposed Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy reflect the priorities of the Scottish Government. The 2023 Policy Prospectus ‘Equality, Opportunity, Community’ sets out the government’s priority to make a fairer Scotland a reality – a Scotland of equality, opportunity and community. The 2023-24 Programme for Government  recognises that each mission is connected and, when delivered together, will make a real and positive difference to the lives of people across Scotland.

Your views will help us shape our final Mainstreaming Strategy.  The Strategy will guide the work that Scottish Government, the wider public sector and our partners will do to embed equality and human rights in everything that we do. Therefore, it is important that we collaborate to develop a Strategy that will improve outcomes for all.