Welcome to our Knowledge Hub!
In the Local Policies section you will find a compilation of local government policies on human rights, the right to the city, housing and other key topics for local social inclusion and participatory democracy agendas. Our search engine will allow you to select practices according to more specific categories or types of contents, including more than sixty case studies developed within the Inclusive Cities Observatory initiative (a joint endeavour by the UCLG-CSIPDHR, the University College of London and the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra). The Resources section of this Knowledge Hub gathers useful publications, policy documents, international declarations and valuable learning resources.
We hope you find these resources inspiring: Reach us to know more about any of them!


Role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights - A/HRC/30/49 (2015)
Report developed by the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, adopted by the Council in 2016.

Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City (2011)
The first collective vision and roadmap by local governments worldwide on what local implementation of human rights meant on the ground and how could it be advanced.

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) "Human rights cities in the EU: a framework for reinforcing rights locally" (2021)

Barcelona Discrimination Observatory - Annual Report 2021
The Discrimination Observatory of Barcelona has also launched its 2021

25 November - Special Newsletter on Violence against Women

European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City (2001)
The document that scaled-up human rights cities networking in Europe. It was adopted in 2001 in Saint Denis (France) as a follow-up to the Barcelona Cities for Rights Declaration (1998).

UCLG-CSIPDHR Report on Local Governments and Human Rights (2019)
Developed as a contribution to the OHCHR's 2019 call for contributions on local governments and human rights initiatives.

Local Governments for Human Rights: A Debate with the UN (2019)
A historical event which laid the foundations for a more structural dialogue between the UN and local governments on human rights.

Local governments and human rights in Asia (2021)
Report of the consultation event held within the 2021 WHRCF. Regional contribution to the update process of the Global Charter-Agenda.

Madrid Human Rights Strategic Plan (2017)
A 2017 initiative aimed at mainstreaming human rights in the local government of Madrid


Local government debates on human rights and the right to the city (2017)
These were held in Madrid, Geneva and Gwangju, and gave a crucial follow-up to the Habitat III Conference.

Resolution on Local Governments and Human Rights - A/HRC/RES/33/8 (2016)
Resolution on the UN "Local Governments and Human Rights" agenda adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2016.

Gwangju Human Rights Charter (2012)
The first roadmap for Gwangju's implementation of its own local human rights system. Developed in close connection to the World Human Rights Cities Forum process.

Co-creating caring territories through human rights based-approaches (Cities of Peace Magazine)
Our collaboration with the Cities of Peace magazine focused on exploring the role of rights-based approaches in revamping local inclusion agendas.

Human Rights Cities and Regions: Swedish and International Perspectives (2017)
A publication by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights reflecting on Swedish and international human rights policy experiences.
Asian Human Rights Charter (1998)
Landmark document in the advance of human rights in the Asia Pacific region which ultimately influenced the regional movement of human rights cities. Adopted in Gwangju (South Korea) in 1998.