The "European Local Democracy Week" on Human Rights

The European Local Democracy Week (ELDW) is an annual event in which local authorities from the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe (CoE) organize public events to meet and engage with the public on issues relating to the promotion of local citizen participation. This year edition of the ELDW focused on "Human rights at local level", aiming to encourage local governments to promote the protection of human rights by means of their local policies.

The ELDW takes place every year around the 15th of October in order to pay tribute to the European Charter of Local Self-Government adopted in 1985. This year´s event took place from 10 to 15 October in cities in Armenia, Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Among them, the cities of Brussels and Namur (Belgium), Utrecht (Holland), Strasbourg (France), Mugla and Lüleburgaz (Turkey) and Faistos (Greece) achieved "12-Star City" status in recognition of their efforts to raise public awareness of local democracy, the involvement of their councillors in the ELDW and their work to promote citizens´ participation.

The UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights welcomes the focus of this year´s ELDW on safeguarding human rights at the local level, and invites the European cities members of UCLG to sign the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City and the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City