Cities and municipalities are the public authorities closest to their citizens. Therefore, it is crucial to implement human rights at the local level to ensure that no one is left behind. What are concrete ways for local governments and stakeholders to strengthen their commitment to human rights? To answer this question, we want to draw together efforts from across the world aiming at fostering commitments to human rights at the local level.
Around the world, many ways are being developed and implemented with the goal of making human rights a more mandatory guideline for local policies. The Academy and Conference in 2022 will build on the success of last year’s event and provide a forum for gathering such current approaches and initiatives, discussing experiences and lessons learnt from various regional and local approaches thereof, and disseminating practices that have been identified as successful by local governments.
The first three days of the Academy are dedicated to three thematic strands on human rights commitments at the local level around the world. A networking event will be held on 4 February, in particular for next generation human rights professionals. After a two-day break, the participants will reunite on 7 February to synthesise the findings and proposals of the event into the Outcome Document expressing possible ways forward for local governments.
On Day 6, a Conference will take place with high level representatives to discuss the outcomes of the Academy and to make concrete proposals on how to locally implement the international agenda following a human rights-based approach. The Outcome Document will be adopted as a guideline for local authorities on how to effectively strengthen commitments to human rights at the local level. The high-level panel discussion will include elements of performance by the Austrian group InterACT, who will use applied theatre techniques to illustrate and moderate the discussion on the Outcome Document. Join us at the Conference!
Find more information on the Programme of the Academy and the Conference here!
This event is organized by the International Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights at the Local and Regional Levels under the auspices of UNESCO and the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Human Security at the University of Graz, Austria.