These assessments show what action government has taken to carry out the United Nation’s (UN’s) recommendations, within the scope of our methodology.
They include recommendations from the UN committees associated with the human rights treaties that the UK government has signed and ratified (agreed to follow), which are:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT)
Assessments are up to date as of December 2024.
Overview of action taken
Update on implementing CRPD recommendations
What we assessed in the recommendation
Provide a progress update to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities within one year of actioning their recommendations on disabled people's rights to independent living, work and social protection.
CRPD concluding observations 2017, paragraph 73:
The Committee requests the State party to provide information, within 12 months of the adoption of the present concluding observations and in accordance with article 35 (2) of the Convention, on the measures taken to implement the Committee ’s recommendations contained in paragraphs 45 (living independently and being included in the community), 57 (work and employment) and 59 (adequate standard of living and social protection).
The UK government published its response to the UN CRPD Committee’s October 2017 concluding observations in September 2018.
Update on implementing CAT recommendations
What we assessed in the recommendation
Provide an update to the United Nations Committee against Torture, by 17 May 2020, on progress made in implementing the Committee's recommendations on:
-
sexual abuse of children in detention
-
accountability for torture and ill-treatment carried out by UK personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2009
-
accountability for conflict-related violations in Northern Ireland
Also, share plans for implementing the other recommendations.
CAT concluding observations 2019, paragraph 66:
The Committee requests the State party to provide, by 17 May 2020, information on follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations on the sexual abuse of children in detention (para. 19), accountability for any torture and ill-treatment committed by United Kingdom personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2009 (para. 33) and accountability for conflict-related violations in Northern Ireland (para. 41 (a) and (d)–(f)). In that context, the State party is invited to inform the Committee about its plans for implementing, within the coming reporting period, some or all of the remaining recommendations in the concluding observations.
In response to the recommendation, the UK government provided information on follow up to the UN Committee Against Torture in August 2020 (‘the follow up report’).
The follow up report included updates in relation to some but not all of the Committee’s recommendations on sexual abuse of children in detention.
The follow up report provided updates on some, but not all, elements of the Committee’s recommendation on the issue of torture and ill-treatment in Iraq. In particular, the UK government rejected the Committee’s claim that a single, independent public inquiry was necessary.
In the follow up report, the UK government announced that it was not in a position to share plans for implementation of some or all recommendations from the UN Committee Against Torture’s 2019 Concluding Observations, given the pressures of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It said it would return to this.
CERD, CAT and ICESCR report submissions
What we assessed in the recommendation
Submit reports that assess how well the UK government is meeting its human rights obligations. These reports are:
-
combined 24th to 26th periodic report under the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), to be submitted by 6 April 2020
-
seventh periodic report under the Committee against Torture (CAT), to be submitted by 17 May 2023
-
seventh periodic report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to be submitted by 30 June 2021
CERD concluding observations 2016, paragraph 51:
The Committee recommends that the State party submit its combined twenty fourth to twenty-sixth periodic reports, as a single document, by 6 April 2020, taking into account the reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee during its seventy first session (CERD/C/2007/1) and addressing all the points raised in the present concluding observations. In the light of General Assembly resolution 68/268, the Committee urges the State party to observe the limit of 21,200 words for periodic reports.
CAT concluding observations 2019, paragraph 69:
The Committee requests the State party to submit its next periodic report, which will be its seventh, by 17 May 2023. For that purpose, and in view of the fact that the State party has agreed to report to the Committee under the simplified reporting procedure, the Committee will, in due course, transmit to the State party a list of issues prior to reporting. The State party’s replies to that list of issues will constitute its seventh periodic report under article 19 of the Convention.
ICESCR concluding observations 2016, paragraph 73:
The Committee requests the State party to submit its seventh periodic report, to be prepared in accordance with the reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee in 2008 (E/C.12/2008/2), by 30 June 2021. It also invites the State party to update its common core document as necessary and in accordance with the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties (HRI/GEN/2/Rev.6, chap. I).
The UK government submitted its periodic 24th – 26th CERD report on 8 March 2023, with nearly three years delay. The report was 18,627 words long and therefore within the required word count.
The UK government submitted its seventh periodic CAT report on 15 August 2023, almost three months after the deadline.
The UK government submitted its seventh periodic ICESCR report on 20 May 2022, with nearly one year delay.
Page updates
Published:
29 January 2025
Last updated:
29 January 2025