UN Urges the UK Government to Take Up a New Law

Guardian has recently published an article, which claims that the latest report of the United Nations, submitted by the Geneva-based UN Committee, urges the UK Government to take up a law over homelessness, which is currently enforced in Scotland. The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights has recommended the UK Government to adopt the law, which regards housing in Scotland as an “enforceable right”, all across the Great Britain. The report also touched upon a number of other social issues that are currently present in the United Kingdom, however, particular attention was drawn to the Homelessness Scotland Act 2003, which is regarded by the UN as the best practice of social housing. Mr. Duncan Wilson, who takes the post of Scottish Human Rights Commission head of strategy and legal actions department, claimed that the UN Committee clearly demonstrated that despite the fact that the UK has signed up an international legally-binding treaty - the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights almost 30 years ago, it still has not done enough to protect these rights. He added that the protection of social, economic, and cultural rights represents the guarantee of fairness and justice. Mr. Wilson is determined that the enforcement of these laws will increase the ability of the country’s residents to fulfil their potential as well as it will give priority to the marginalised groups in the United Kingdom. Mr. Wilson’s opinion was shared by Mr. John Wadham, group director at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Mr. Wadham claimed that the recent UN findings proved the key concerns of the organizations, which were associated with the inequality of housing and working conditions of the disadvantaged groups in the United Kingdom.