On Human Rights Day 2021, our Committee joins its member-local governments and international partners in celebrating human rights. We highlight with particular emphasis their key role in triggering transformative action against inequalities and discrimination, strengthening local democracy, good governance and the participation of residents in local government, as well as fostering global solidarity among local governments and links with civil society for more social and enviromental justice.
On this special occasion, we compiled the main open processes defining our current Human Rights Roadmap. Through this platform, members of the Committee are advancing the role of human rights in UCLG discussions (chiefly, the Pact for the Future); supporting the global human rights cities movement; and reinforcing local action on human rights worldwide.
Renewing our understanding of human rights in the city and pushing for a new generation of human rights: Update Process of the Global Charter-Agenda
Kicked off in May 2021, the Charter-Agenda update process has already seen the holding of an Asia Pacific consultation on local governments and human rights, as well as the launch of an online consultation platform.
Local governments and partners are invited to have a say in the renewed global vision for “Human Rights in the City” that the Committee and UCLG aspire to articulate, to be enshrined also in the wider Pact for the Future. This highly strategic process will enable participants from all kinds to push for new concepts, priorities and approaches to human rights based on local government initiative and leadership: A new generation of human rights.
[ Know more about this process here ]
Strengthening human rights city organizing and expanding the movement across the world: 10 > 100 > 1000 Human Rights Cities Campaign
2022 will see the launch of a global initiative promoted by our Committee’s leadership, aimed at getting more local leaders to promote human rights values locally as well as at a global cooperation level.
The 10 > 100 > 1000 campaign intends to expand the numbers of human rights cities, as well as the types of local governments which are part of this discussion (rural and peri urban territories, intermediary, peripheral or small cities...). The campaign will reinforce the global organization and monitoring capacity of the human rights cities movement.
[ More information will be published soon ]
Fostering recognition and participation of local governments in global human rights governance: Letter of Agreement with the OHCHR
After the presentation of the Letter of Agreement with the OHCHR during the UCLG World Council, both organizations are now ready to engage in a more meaningful common agenda of events and joint initiatives.
Fostering local government participation in UN human rights discussions and procedures is a strategic aspect of this process, which has been advanced already in 2019, 2020 and 2021 events. Enhancing structural dialogue, knowledge sharing, communications and capacity building efforts will be priorities for the next period.
[ Know more about this process here ]
Reinforcing local capacities and establishing a learning community on local human rights action: MOOC on Local Governments and Human Rights
The renewal of the UCLG-CSIPDHR website was the first step towards enhancing our capacity as Knowledge Hub on human rights and right to the city related issues (see our Local Policies and Resources sections).
In 2021, along with the UCLG Learning and our international partners, we started building a larger online learning platform on “Local Governments and Human Rights”. Once it is ready, it will contain insightful knowledge on this key issue and provide access to how local human rights practices operate across the world.