The UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights, the Gwangju Metropolitan City and the Gwangju International Centre are organizing the 7th edition of the World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF), which will take place from 14 to17 September 2017. Based on the Gwangju Guiding Principles for a Human Rights City, this forum has been held annually since 2011, becoming a meeting point where local governments, academics and international and civil society organizations share their views and experiences to enable human rights to be achieved at the local level.
In a particularly difficult context for human rights at the global level, the 7th edition of the Forum will be held under the theme “Do We Live in Peace? Human Rights cities, Democracy and Practice”. It aims to reaffirm the importance of human rights in building democratic and peaceful societies, taking into special consideration local practices where inhabitants co-create cities and territories. Mayors and representatives of social movements from Asia and the rest of the world will bring their experiences in defending human rights and democracy to the Forum.
This year, the Forum will welcome William Bell, Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, as a guest of honour, and will also highlight the Swedish human rights protection system. The 7th edition of the Forum is being organized in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Global Platform for the Right to the City. We invite you to take a look at the concept note of the Forum for further details on content.
We have the honour to invite you to this 7th edition of the Forum, firmly convinced that it will be an outstanding opportunity to strengthen messages and practices for the promotion, guarantee and protection of human rights from the local to the global level. Due to organisational requirements, we kindly ask you to let us know as soon as possible should you wish to attend the Forum by writing to [email protected].