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News at the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Friday 16 January |
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Welcome to our latest update from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The end of 2025 was a period of change for the Commission; following her appointment as Chair, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson was interviewed on the Laura Kuenssberg show, and we welcomed two interim commissioners to support our work.
We used Human Rights Day to launch our Universal Periodic Review report and reiterate our pressure on governments to address human rights concerns, while advising Parliament on protecting protest rights, the equality impact of artificial intelligence, and railway accessibility.
In this edition, we also share updates on our legal intervention on PAVA spray use in young offender institutions and how we’ve been shaping our Business Plan for 2025–2026, setting clear priorities to deliver our strategy and drive progress on equality and human rights.
Read on for full details. |
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Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg | Our new Chair, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, appeared on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg for her first media engagement since taking up the role. She discussed her insights on key issues affecting equality and human rights and her upcoming priorities as Chair.
You can watch the interview on BBC iPlayer, starting at 34 minutes and 15 seconds into the programme. | | Watch Dr Stephenson’s interview |
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Appointment of interim commissioners | The Minister for Women and Equalities has appointed two interim commissioners to allow us to continue with our work until the recruitment of permanent Board members. Ali Harris and Professor Shazia Choudhry have been appointed for 12 months from 1 January 2026.
Ali Harris is Chief Executive of Equally Ours, a human rights charity and Shazia Choudhry is Professor of Law at the University of Oxford, and the Jeffrey Hackney Tutorial Fellow in Law at Wadham College. Both will bring their experience and expertise in equality and human rights to contribute to and support our work. | | Read about the interim commissioner appointments |
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Our Universal Periodic Review Assessment published | To mark Human Rights Day, we published our Universal Periodic Review report, assessing how the UK and Welsh Governments have implemented human rights recommendations. At the halfway point in the current cycle, our findings show the governments are falling short of their commitments.
Key concerns include restrictive protest laws that limit people's right to assembly, disabled people facing greater barriers to healthcare, and migrant workers on certain visa schemes being left vulnerable to exploitation. We've written to ministers urging immediate action before the next review in 2027. | | Read the UPR report |
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Civil society invited to contribute to UK’s review on Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) | The United Nations is inviting civil society organisations to take part in its review of how the UK is implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women wants to hear from international and national civil society groups, UN specialist agencies and bodies, and National Human Rights Institutions. These contributions will help shape the list of issues for the next stage of the reporting cycle.
The UK's pre-sessional working group is now scheduled for 22–26 February 2027, following the cancellation of the July 2026 session. Please note that UN schedules can change without notice. | | Read on how to contribute to the next stage of the CEDAW reporting cycle |
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Our blog on Human Rights Day for Senedd Research | In a guest blog for Senedd Research, we reflected on the progress Wales has made in protecting human rights, highlighting government actions, ongoing challenges and the need for continued work to meet international standards. | | Read our Human Rights Day blog |
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This week the Chair visited Glasgow and Edinburgh for introductions to staff and stakeholders, with Cardiff visits planned in the coming weeks. Since taking up her role, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson has met with a range of government, parliamentary and civil society stakeholders such as Liberty, Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland, Stonewall, Disability Equality Scotland, Black Equity Organisation, the Equality Network and the Scottish Trans Alliance. We thank all stakeholders for their time and look forward to more conversations planned over the coming months.
We’ve continued working with regulators, government departments and advocacy groups to strengthen compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Teams also met this month with transport bodies as part of our access to transport programme, and contributed to policy discussions on international human rights reporting, AI use by regulators, and gender budgeting in local authorities.
Through this work, our goal is to strengthen accountability and ensure human rights standards deliver real‑world impact. |
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