UK civil society brings poverty and human rights concerns to new UN Special Rapporteur

On 7 September, Just Fair brought together members of the UK Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network from across the UK for a briefing with Professor Elena Díaz, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.

The online meeting provided an opportunity for UK civil society to speak directly to Professor Díaz at the beginning of her mandate, sharing how poverty and human rights are experienced across the UK and, in particular, for people facing the sharpest and intersecting forms of inequality and rights violations.

This was a significant opportunity. The briefing was organised by Just Fair following engagement with the Special Rapporteur’s office, creating an opportunity for UK civil society to share its expertise and experiences at the outset of her mandate.

Engaging early allows civil society to contribute to the Special Rapporteur’s understanding of the issues affecting people and communities across the UK, as she develops her priorities and approach for the years ahead.

We took particular care in selecting participants. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) highlighted a number of groups as being disproportionately affected by poverty and rights violations in its 2025 concluding observations on the UK.

These include disabled people; migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum; LGBTI+ people; low-income families; people in precarious employment; children; female-headed households; people living in remote areas; and ethnically and religiously minoritised people.

The organisations and individuals that took part work across these issues. They also either have expertise of the issues themselves through their lived experience or because they work in smaller organisations engaging closely with communities and individuals impacted by poverty and rights violations.

This was an intentional choice. Too often, discussions about poverty take place without the people and organisations closest to those experiences having the opportunity to shape them. The briefing created space for smaller and less frequently heard voices to share their knowledge directly with an international human rights mechanism.

Poverty is a human rights issue

The discussion highlighted how poverty affects people’s ability to realise their rights in practice.

Poverty is not simply about income. It can determine whether someone can access an adequate home, afford enough food, obtain healthcare, participate in education, access social security or secure, decent work. These challenges can be compounded where people experience discrimination or multiple forms of disadvantage.

The UK has international human rights obligations to progressively realise economic, social and cultural rights, tackle discrimination and inequality, and ensure that people can enjoy their rights in practice.

The briefing session gave participating organisations and individuals an opportunity to share where they see these obligations falling short, the barriers faced by the communities they work with, and the changes needed to tackle poverty through a human rights framework.

It also provided an opportunity to hear directly from the new Special Rapporteur and to strengthen engagement between UK civil society and the UN human rights system.

Taking the conversation forward

The meeting is the beginning of a wider piece of work.

Just Fair is bringing together the evidence and perspectives shared during the briefing to develop a written civil society briefing for the Special Rapporteur, which we will publish inthe coming weeks.

Together, the oral and written briefings will help put the experiences of people facing poverty and inequality in the UK on the international human rights agenda, while strengthening the ability of UK civil society to use UN mechanisms to press for change and hold governments to account.

Civil society organisations involved:

Just Fair, ALLIANCE Scotland, Asylum Matters, Bevan Foundation, Black Equity Organisation, Castlemilk Housing and Human Rights Lived Experience Advisory Board, Disability Rights UK, Equality Network, Equity, Just Fair’s Lived Experience Advisory Group, René Cassin, Shared Health, Tax Justice UK, Together – Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights Women’s Resource and Development Agency.