The publication series “Human Rights Go Local” is jointly edited 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. The series is published by HRGL Publications. The series allows established researchers, new voices, and practitioners to contribute to the debate on the interlinkages between human rights and global policy frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.
The third volume in the publication series "Human Rights Go Local" argues that the promise of a Human Rights City does not automatically guarantee its citizens’ human rights to the necessary degree. But can Human Rights Cities not be expected to extend their human rights commitment beyond the mere legal minimum standards? Throughout this manual an answer to this question is formulated. In order to avoid that Human Rights Cities only support human rights principles and values in an abstract manner, preference is given to the following five constitutive elements: the legal human rights discourse, the rights-based approach, institutionalisation, the local government as the instigating actor in a multi-actor and multi-stakeholder environment, and the horizontally-organised networking model.