21/09/2021

WHRCF to be held next October: Focus on the role of human rights in revamping the social contract at a local level

The 11th edition of the World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) will be held from 6 to 10 october in Gwangju with most sessions open to online participation. The Forum will bring together human rights defenders, experts, international speakers and, of course, local governments leading the advance of human rights practices as cornerstone of an inclusive recovery and towards building a new social contract.


As co-organizer of the Forum, our Committee will be organizing its first plenary session along with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):

« High-Level Dialogue on the Future of the Human Rights Cities Movement: Human Rights Principles to Move Forward Fairer »

This session will bring together local leaders in the human rights cities movement, representatives of the OHCHR and UCLG leadership and other key partners for the movement to address the role of human rights in powering local government responses to the COVID-19 crisis and triggering new collective initiatives among cities at a global level.

This open session will take place on October 7 at 20:00 Korea Summer Time and 13:00 Central European Time.

Check your local time here and register here!


Join the online conversation at #WHRCF2021 and #Cities4Rights


Our Committee is also co-organizing a session during the Forum with the participation of the UCLG ASPAC section:

« Asia Consultation on the UCLG Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City: Local perspectives on human rights »

This event aims at highlighting Asian perspectives on human rights practice at the local level, including pressing challenges, opportunities and recent innovations. These inputs will nourish the ongoing update process of the UCLG human rights Charter-Agenda, bringing together global and Asian voices on human rights and urbanization: from local government to human rights defenders, experts and representatives of international organizations.

This open session will take place on October 6 at 19:00 Korea Summer Time and 12:00 Central European Time.

Check your local time here and register here!


Finally, our Committee is also co-organizing, along with its Seine Saint Denis co-presidency, as well as the support of the AFD (French Agency of Development), the following event:

« Realizing the Right to the City for All: Local Governments Fighting Violence against Women and Girls »

This event will bring together local government experiences addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) through policymaking and local cooperation. It will place the issue of women rights high in the Forum’s agenda. Furthermore, this will be the first public event of a new and important project focused on local governments role in fighting VAWG launched by the Seine Saint Denis within the UCLG-CSIPDHR with the support of the AFD Agency.

This open session will take place on October 7 at 22:00 Korea Summer Time and 15:00 Central European Time.

Check your local time here and register here!


Explore the full program of the Forum


Don't forget to reach the Executive Secretariat of our Committee to know more about the Forum and how to participate in any of these sessions: See you all online in Gwangju!