The health and human rights partnership : forging new paths in public health practice in Scotland

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Houston, Isobel and Thirlwall, Claire and Webster, Elaine and Watson, Lorna (2025) The health and human rights partnership : forging new paths in public health practice in Scotland. Journal of Public Health, 47 (Suppl). i56–i60. ISSN 1741-3842 (https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdaf129)

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Abstract

The fields of public health and human rights have traditionally adopted distinct terminology and forms of reasoning which has, at times, led to an ‘uneasy relationship’.1 However, in general, the discussion has shifted from ‘why link health and human rights?’ to ‘how to do it?’2. This commentary shares the work of the Health and Human Rights Partnership (HHR partnership; the partnership) in Scotland, which aims to support legal and policy moves towards improved integration of public health and human rights narratives in practice. The partnership, established in 2015, brings a unique combination of legal expertise, public health perspectives, and the lived experience of communities with a view to working collaboratively towards a shared vision. This vision is of a Scottish human rights community where rights holders and duty bearers are empowered to understand and exercise rights and duties that are relevant for promoting positive public health outcomes.

ORCID iDs

Houston, Isobel, Thirlwall, Claire, Webster, Elaine ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1705-207X and Watson, Lorna;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)