This year’s “Human Rights Go Local – What works” Academy and Conference are right around the corner and we are very excited for these enriching events focusing on human rights commitments at the local level.
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. This year’s Academy brings together human rights players and local authorities to discuss which frameworks, tools and practices really help local authorities to deepen their commitment to human rights.
Representatives of cities, city networks, international organisations, and intermediaries from think tanks, academia, civil society, national/regional organisations will come together to share their valuable and successful practices, collect significant lessons learnt, and, finally, elaborate tangible recommendations for local governments on how to realise human rights commitments. Further, we are eager to welcome members of the next generation who are interested in pursuing a career in human rights to actively participate in this process.
We are already very eager to get stimulated by what we expect to be a very fruitful and encouraging discussion within the framework of this multi-day Academy.
The Academy’s outcomes will be recorded in the Outcome Document. This valuable Document lies at the heart of the consequent International Conference on 8 February. This high-level gathering marks the grand finale of the Academy. Within the framework of a panel discussion featuring representatives from UNESCO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN-Habitat, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), and prominent local government representatives from around the world, the Outcome Document will be presented and adopted as a guideline for local governments.
As particular highlight of this Conference, the Outcome Document will be presented during the panel in a very unique way: it will include elements of performance by the Austrian theatre group InterACT, who will use applied theatre techniques to illustrate and moderate the Outcome Document.
We are delighted to embark with you on this innovative journey to foster human rights at the local level, and leave no one behind!
