On 2 and 3 October 2025, Jerneja Turin, Representative of the Human Rights Ombudsman, participated in the 15th meeting of the Council of Europe, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), and the European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET) Platform, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. The meeting focused on Rights and Rurality: Challenges and Opportunities for the Realisation of Social and Economic Rights in Rural Communities in Europe.

The event, organised by the Council of Europe in collaboration with the Scottish Human Rights Commission, focused on the realisation of social and economic rights in rural areas, with an emphasis on the challenges facing rural communities and how existing legal frameworks—particularly the European Social Charter—apply in these contexts.

This year’s meeting coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Platform, which supports national human rights institutions in the realisation of social and economic rights and promotes the broader application of the European Social Charter at the national level. As part of the anniversary celebrations, a round-table was held on 2 October at the University of Edinburgh, where participants reflected on a decade of joint efforts to strengthen social and economic rights across Europe and reaffirmed their commitment to their continued realisation.

Alongside the Platform meeting, a session of the ENNHRI Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was held. As the institution’s representative, Jerneja Turin, who is also a member of the Group, presented the work of the Human Rights Ombudsman. This year’s meeting placed particular emphasis on the decline of social and economic rights in European countries, particularly in reference to the standards established in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.