In recent years, the UNESCO Centre has steadily expanded its international engagement through various collaborations. Through transnational activities, our commitment to strengthening human rights at the local and regional levels has been recognized internationally, especially through the Asian and the European Coalition of cities under the umbrella of UNESCO. Read on to learn more about our latest engagements.
Putting the Peace- and Human Rights City of Graz in the Spotlight at the WHRCF in Gwangju
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 participated in their role as partners in the World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) held under the theme “Peace and Solidarity: Human Rights Cities Acting for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding” in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, from 15 to 17 May 2025.
Klaus Starl actively participated as a main speaker in the panel “Cities for Peacebuilding” including researcher Marta Siciarek (Gdansk, Poland) and City Councillor Sherri Rollins (Winnipeg, Canada). He presented the declaration of Graz as a “City of Peace” from 2024 and related it to what has already been achieved in the Human Rights City of Graz. The link between the City of Peace and the City of Human Rights was internationally recognized and demonstrates a vigilance against ideologies of inequality that prevent dialogue, restrict freedoms and ultimately lead to hatred and conflict.
Experts of the Centre Join the ECCAR Steering Committee Meeting in Lausanne
Our Director Klaus Starl, who is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR), and our Senior Social Scientist Isabella Meier travelled to Lausanne, Switzerland, to participate in the ECCAR Steering Committee Meeting on 26 and 27 May 2025. As consultants to ECCAR member cities, Klaus provided advise to the city coalition while Isabella presented the central missions of the Centre when it comes to supporting ECCAR member cities in applying a human rights-based approach to developing Action Plans against racism. We are proud that our services as consultants attracted so much interest during the event.
In October 2025, the General Assembly of the City Coalition will take place in Zurich where elections are expected to result in major personal changes in the ECCAR bodies. The first steps will also be taken to prepare for the assumption of a new chairmanship in 2027. Graz, as a founding member of the Coalition and the actual place where the association with its now 180 members was created in 2007, needs to find its own position and engagement in these bodies in the run-up to the General Assembly.
Future Major Activities of the Centre
In July 2025, representatives from the Centre will participate in a one-day panel discussion convened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva to share and review best practices in addressing the various challenges faced by local governments in promoting and protecting human rights. The outcomes of the panel discussion will be presented to the Human Rights Council at its 63rd session in 2026 with the final goal to inform the next resolution on local government and human rights.
In addition to contributing to the City of Graz’s engagement as a human rights city in these processes led by the OHCHR, the Centre is currently working closely with Graz to further strengthen the quality standards of human rights cities in terms of accountability for human rights at the local level.
