Human Rights Advisory Group meeting: 5 March 2025

• Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip 
• WCVA/Cardiff University Wales Governance Centre 
• Swansea University 
• Disability Wales                 
• Equality and Human Rights Commission Wales 
• NWREN 
• Older People’s Commissioner for Wales 
• Oxfam Cymru 
• Cardiff University 
• Cardiff University 
• Women Connect First 
• Cytun 
• WCVA 
• Children in Wales 
• Independent 
• WEN Wales 
• Cardiff and Vale UHB 

Welsh Government officials 

• Director, Equality and Human Rights Team 
• Head of Strategic Equality Human Rights & Delivery Planning 
• Human Rights Team 
• Special Advisor 
• Private Secretary 

Apologies

• WEN Wales 
• Independent 

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd, and Chief Whip (CSSJTCW) welcomed members. Minutes from the last meeting were acknowledged with no issues raised. The updated terms of reference will be shared with members and published on the webpage.

Action point: secretariat to circulate the updated terms of reference.

Welsh Government officials provided an update on progress:

• Work is being done to take forward the human rights statement and to develop a human rights approach within Welsh Government. 
• The development of an integrated equality and human rights impact assessment model. 
• Officials highlighted the work done on Human Rights Day, stakeholder meetings, and the ICESCR dialogue in Geneva: 
  • An online event was produced to explain the difference between equality and human rights. 
  • Two stakeholder meetings were held to seek views on the ICESCR UN Convention. 
  • Officials joined the UK State Party to represent Welsh Government in the UK Dialogue session held at the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Geneva on the ICESCR (in February). A report was produced and submitted to the UK Government and the UN.  Fact check of concluding observations was completed with one amendment.
  • Work on the Universal Periodic Review will start with policy colleagues across Welsh Government.

A summary of group comments include:

• Members expressed interest in the integrated equality and human rights impact assessment, as well as the concluding observations from the United Nations. They noted the committee's acknowledgment of the devolved structure of the United Kingdom and emphasised the importance of incorporating socioeconomic rights.
• The importance of responding to the concluding observations was highlighted and it was suggested that Welsh Government should publish a response to these observations.
• It was questioned whether the Welsh Government would provide a statement on the impact of the UK Government's decision to cut the aid budget, emphasising its importance in supporting human rights.
  • CSSJTCW informed the group that the issue of international aid was raised in the Senedd and discussed with the First Minister. The UK Government currently has no plans for a statement. The First Minister's statement on Ukraine is available; officials shared the link in the chat. 
  • The commitment to the Wales and Africa programme remains, and the budget has been approved. A meeting is planned with representatives to discuss humanitarian aid for the Middle East, Gaza, and Ukraine.

Action point: secretariat to share the link to the Human Rights Day event recording.

Action point: secretariat to provide the link to the ICESCR dialogue on the UN webpages.

Swansea Human Rights City initiative was introduced, with an emphasis on the work undertaken by the City and County of Swansea and the Public Services Board:

• Key areas of concern identified: tackling poverty, supporting vulnerable children and families, tackling discrimination, addressing domestic abuse and violence, and raising human rights awareness.
• Holistic approach focusing on frameworks at a strategic level to guide community development.
• Emphasis on preparatory work before making a formal declaration.
• In December 2021, Swansea declared its ambition to become a human rights city. A steering group was set up and an officer was appointed to lead the work.
• Training for leaders to develop understanding of human rights.
• Empowering residents with guides on their rights.
• Addressing equality and non-discrimination through various projects.
• Developed for organisations to embed human rights principles in local policies and practices.

A question was raised about how the City and County of Swansea fund their human rights initiatives, given the financial constraints faced by local authorities. CSSJTCW acknowledged the importance of integrating human rights into every aspect of policy-making and delivery, and mentioned the approved budget settlement for local government.

This question was further addressed by explaining how the City and County of Swansea decided to allocate direct resources to support the Adele project. One aspect of adopting a Human Rights Approach involves evaluating how current resources are used to find ways to enhance or align actions with human rights principles and objectives, with impact assessment being crucial. Additionally, adopting a Human Rights Approach might indicate a need to either [a] modify existing practices within current resources; or [b] require additional resources.    

Action point: secretariat to circulate the presentation slides with the group.

The Chair of LOWG provided an update on the LOWG’s progress which included:

• sharing the methodology for analysing rights in treaties, focusing on the right to education, and expressing gratitude for support from colleagues and the Welsh Government
• the progress made in developing a methodology for analysing rights in treaties and the challenges encountered due to capacity issues. It was noted that funding has been secured to support Melissa's work, allowing the pilot project to continue until the end of March
• an outline of the project timeline, with the pilot continuing until the end of March, followed by the application of the methodology to CRDP in quarter 1, CEDAW in quarter 2, and drafting recommendations in quarter 3. Reference groups of experts will be formed to test and refine the recommendations
• how the project aims to develop legislative and non-legislative options for incorporation. The methodology involves identifying the fundamental purpose of rights, exploring compliance implications for Wales, and discussing legislative and policy options to address deficits and meet the rights' purposes

CSSJTCW expressed gratitude for the group's contributions emphasising the significance of stakeholder engagement and continuing progress towards the programme for Government commitment.

CSSJTCW noted the date of the next meeting on the 25^th June at 10am and suggested that it is an hour long.

CSSJTCW thanked the Cytun representative for their contributions, wished them a happy retirement, and brought the meeting to a close.

Actions

• Secretariat to circulate the updated terms of reference: Secretariat
• Secretariat to share the link to the Human Rights Day recording: Secretariat
• Secretariat to provide the link to the ICESCR dialogue on the UN webpages: Secretariat
• Secretariat to circulate the presentation slides from Simon Hoffman with the group: Secretariat