Guest Lecture 6 - Non-Discrimination: A Panel Discussion
November 5, 13:00-14:30
Human Rights in Scotland – All You Need to Know
Guest Lecture Six: Non-Discrimination – A Panel Discussion
Date: Wednesday 5 November 2025
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Format: Online via Zoom
Access: HRCS Members Only
About this Session
In our final Guest Lecture, we bring together an expert panel of equalities organisations to explore how non-discrimination is both a core human rights principle and an everyday priority across civil society.
Our panellists will each share how international human rights standards support their work with different communities – and why intersectionality matters when tackling inequality in Scotland today.
Panellists:
Charlotte Thomas, Race Equality and Human Rights Policy Officer, BEMIS
“Charlotte Thomas is the Race Equality and Human Rights Policy Officer at BEMIS. Her work focuses on aligning Scotland’s human rights progression with the Race Equality Framework 2016–2030, and ensuring that commitments under the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) are meaningfully implemented across policy and practice in Scotland. She works closely with ethnic minority community organisations, national and local government, and key stakeholders to ensure that racial equality and human rights policy is shaped and led by the lived experiences of those most affected.”
Francesca Malila, Human Rights and Race Equality Officer, CEMVO Scotland
“Francesca is the Human Rights and Race Equality officer on the Race for Human Rights team at CEMVO Scotland. She joined the team recently from a background in community development with minority ethnic migrant communities. In her current role she promotes a rights-based approach to race equality by supporting organisations to embed human rights and anti-racism through consultancy, training and meaningful community engagement as well as using her expertise to contribute to policy developments in Scotland.”
Social media: www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-malila and https://www.linkedin.com/company/cemvo
Christopher Clannachan, Policy and Campaigns Officer, Equality Network
“Christopher is the Policy and Campaigns Officer at Equality Network, Scotland’s leading organisation working to advance LGBTI equality and human rights. He holds an LLB in Scots Law and an LLM in International and European Law, specialising in human rights and LGBTI equality.”
Dr Pauline Nolan, Head of Participation and Policy, Inclusion Scotland
“Dr Pauline Nolan has been Head of Participation and Policy in the Senior Leadershup team since 2024 and leads on our participation, lived experience leadership, policy and research work at Inclusion Scotland. She leads on delivery of our participation, policy and research strategy. Pauline has worked in policy, research and participation at Inclusion Scotland since 2011. Prior to that she worked at Amnesty Scotland; in social care support roles; and she did a PhD in Social Anthropology.”
Outside of work, she is chair of the board of Article 12 Scotland, and enjoys cooking, music, dancing and spending time with family.”
linkedin.com/company/inclusion?scotland; facebook.com/InclusionScotland
Lucy Hughes, Policy and Parliamentary Manager, Engender
“Lucy is the Policy and Parliamentary Manager for Engender, Scotland’s intersectional feminist policy and advocacy organisation. She leads Engender’s strategic activity with the Scottish and UK Parliaments and supports the advocacy of feminist policy positions and research to create policy and practice change in Scotland to improve women’s lives and strengthen their rights. Lucy has worked in policy development and influencing roles in the third sector for over 8 years, and previous to Engender worked at Who Cares? Scotland, on policy impacting children and adults with care experience.”
@lucyhugs.bsky.social; www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hughes-13649995; https://www.engender.org.uk/content/join-engender/
Not yet a member - or haven’t renewed yet?
This event is part of our members-only Guest Lecture Series.
If you’re not yet a member, or if your organisation joined before 6 May 2025 and hasn’t yet renewed under our new Constitution, you’ll need to complete a short membership form to gain access. Please click on the link for more information: https://www.hrcscotland.org/news/news/renew-your-consortium-membership-now/
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at events@hrcscotland.org
