Our objectives
For a better understanding of Human Rights at local level
The International Permanent Secretariat, “Human Rights and local governments” has set itself the twofold task of not only organising the 2008 Forum and those thereafter, but above all of pursuing and developing exchange among the various human-rights players across the world via a collaborative Website.
According to a now common triptyque, States, and thereby their local representatives, are confronted with a threefold obligation - that of respecting, protecting and enforcing human rights. Hence, the authorities have the duty not only to respect human rights themselves, but also to have them respected by others, especially with regard to relationships among private persons. They also have the task of enforcing them, i.e. rallying sufficient means to make them fully effective, whether this concerns Civil and Political Rights (CPR) or Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR).
Whether cities or local governments, these local authorities are no other than the “public authorities” able to make a difference in terms of ESCR by improving rights, not only for housing, health and employment, but also for education and leisure through, for example, “participation in cultural life”. And this, so much more so seeing as ESCRs are very often created progressively. It is noteworthy that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights now systematically refers to the “obligations of non-State actors”, notably those of the local authorities.
The implication of human rights at local level implies that the private and public players are all joining forces, through new initiatives and partnerships, and through new solidarity schemes, facilitating the “desire to live together”. It would be useful to list the “good practices” that are thus developing, either at institutional level or in an informal context.
The 2nd World Forum on Human Rights, held in Nantes in July 2006, set the trend for accentuating local action, i.e. "human rights in the city" and the role of "local governments" with regard to human rights, whether this be solitary action or within a network of such entities as the European Cities’ Conference for Human Rights or the European Coalition of Cities against Racism. Nevertheless, at international level, synergy on human rights has proved necessary, with cooperation from the World Federation of Local Communities, “United Cities and Local Governments” (UCLG).
Such phenomenon is further enhanced via a working group within UCLG, led by the International Permanent Secretariat of Nantes started the writting of the Global Charter-Agenda of Human Rights in the city.
