Human Rights Go Local: What Works
Academy and Conference on Human Rights at the Local and Regional Levels 2022
“From Intentions to Commitments: Towards the Effective and Sustainable Implementation of Human Rights”
1 – 8 February 2022
Programme Outline
(version: 17 January 2022)
The Academy takes place from 1 February to 8 February 2022. 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.
Aims, approach and target groups
The Academy aims to facilitate exchange on eye-level between different actors, regions and governance levels. The event is cooperative in that it uses a peer-to-peer learning and multi-actor approach to collaboratively generate knowledge and credible encouragements to human rights at the local and regional levels. There are no lectures or traditional teaching methods. The goal of the event is to bring together, match and synthesise different experiences, attempts, approaches, and visions in relation to our topic. The organisers believe that everyone who attends the Academy has something meaningful to contribute and can learn from it, regardless of their degree of knowledge or experience. Participants are urged to participate actively in all sessions.
Agenda
All times are listed in CET (GMT+1)
Tuesday, 1 February 2022: Drivers and actors of human rights commitments
Day 1 is devoted to the developments around the world to strengthen local governments’ commitments to human rights. Thereby, a stocktaking of drivers and actors of human rights commitments at local / regional level takes place. The goal is to collect and map initiatives and policies that have a tangible impact on municipal activities around the world.
Participants are invited to highlight existing strategies in their respective regions and pinpoint their thematic priorities, drivers and actors. The extent to which these initiatives are related to the realization of Agenda 2030, the New Urban Agenda, and how they achieve the pledge to “leave no one behind” will be a vital component of these discussions.
11:30-12:00 Opening ceremony
Academy organisers
12:00-13:00 Plenary Session A
Moderation I Gerd Oberleitner
Impulse speeches by:
- Geraldine Guille, Fundamental Rights Agency I FRA’s Framework for Human Rights Cities in the EU
- Linda Tinio, UNESCO I The International Coalition of Cities against Racism as Driver of Human Rights Commitments
- Angela Mwai and Robert Lewis Lettington, UN Habitat I
- Sylvia Yazid, Bandung (IDN) I Localizing Human Rights: Bottom-Up, Top-Down, or a bit of both? The Bandung Experience
- Jackie Smith, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US) I Bringing Human Rights Home – Mobilizing Municipalities around the UPR Review Process
13:00-13:30 Break
13:30-14:30 Workshop session
two parallel workshop groups covering the same content
- Workshop Session 1: Drivers[1] and actors of commitment:
Part A: challenges and possible solutions
Example questions:
- What are the most important drivers of commitment?
- Which actors inspired the local commitment and how?
- What approaches and initiatives work in which local context?
- What challenges exist in driving human rights commitment at local level? E.g. data gaps, biased-research, transferability, institutional challenges, etc.
- What are possible solutions to these challenges?
Part B: requirements and recommendations
Example questions:
- What are the key requirements to drive and enable HR commitment at the local level?
- What makes research a solid base for tailored and contextualized HR Commitments? Preconditions and requirements
- How can local initiatives be more clearly connected to efforts by national governments and international organisations to meet the SDGs?
- What are the crucial actors of a broad collaboration and participatory approach to elaborate the commitment?
14:30-15:00 Break
15:00-15:30 Closing
Moderation I Gerd Oberleitner, UNESCO Chair
- Summary of workshop findings I
- Thoughts on the day I Paul Lappalainen, Stockholm University (SWE)
Wednesday, 2 February 2022: Local development of commitment: Exchange of experiences
Day 2 is all about exchange and interaction about “what works” in the local development of commitment to human rights. Participants will share the concrete tools and measures proven effective in their local contexts to support local governments in achieving stronger human rights commitments. This includes, for example, the establishment of institutions or procedures, the adoption of frameworks or accreditation processes, review mechanisms (including peer- and self-assessments), the adoption and implementation of action plans, and so on. Against the backdrop of achieving the goals set by Agenda 2030, the New Urban Agenda and the pledge to “leave no one behind”, best practices and successful methods are shared. Challenges encountered are discussed as well as solutions applied. The transferability of proven practices (including Local Voluntary Reviews) to other regions and settings will be discussed too.
11:45-12:00 Introduction and organisational matters
12:00-13:00 Plenary Session B
Moderation I Wanda Tiefenbacher, UNESCO Centre
Impulse speeches by
- Fabio Andrade, Eugene, Oregon (US) I City of Eugene Triple Bottom Line Analysis tool
- Najat Zarrouk, African Local Government Academy (ALGA) I ALGA’s best practices leading to commitment to good governance and human rights (tbc)
- Morten Kjaerum and Ilhami Alkan Olsson, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law I Turkey’s Human Rights City Experiences
- Camilla Stavnes Hisdal, International adviser, City of Bergen (NOR) I Human Rights City Bergen
- Michael Wrentschur, InterACT and University of Graz (AT) I Transforming Access to Housing with Legislative Theatre
13:00-13:30 Break
13:30-14:30 Workshop session
two parallel workshop groups covering the same content
- Workshop Session 2: Local development of commitment
Part A: challenges and possible solutions
- How can a participatory approach help the elaboration of commitment?
- What are the main challenges in formulating and contextualising human rights commitments? Refer to the substantive, procedural and institutional dimension of commitments.
- Discuss the challenges and solutions in effectively implementing a participatory approach to contextualise HR commitments at local level.
Part B: requirements and recommendations
- What is needed to build an enabling environment for the realisation of human rights?
14:30-15:00 Break
15:00-15:30 Closing
Moderation I Wanda Tiefenbacher, UNESCO Centre
- Summary of workshop findings
- Thoughts on the day I Barbara Oomen, Utrecht University (NL)
Thursday, 3 February 2022: From commitment to responsibility
On Day 3, participants will be given the opportunity to share their visions of human rights commitment at the local level. Based on the mapped initiatives and experiences made across the regions, the steps necessary to attain the intended goals will be defined. Both, broader visions such as “leave no one behind,” as well as concrete benchmarks and conditions to increase human rights commitment of local authorities will be considered. Next generation human rights professionals have a crucial role during the day, as they are the stakeholders of the future.
11:45-12:00 Introduction and organisational matters
12:00-13:00 Plenary Session C
Panel A: Frameworks of responsibility
Moderator I Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Discussants:
- Bahram Ghazi I OHCHR
- Konstantinos Tararas I UNESCO
- Geraldine Guille I FRA
- Jasmien Deklerk I KU Leuven, author of the HRGL Publication Vol. 3
Panel B: How to implement the frameworks
Moderator I Klaus Starl, Director of the UNESCO Centre
Discussants:
- Nadine Mailloux, Montreal (CAN) I Ombudsman de Montréal
- Aly Raposo, Winnipeg (CAN) I The Human Rights Committee of Council of Winnipeg
- Andreas Heck and Sebastian Bartsch I Cologne Human Rights City Initiative (GER)
- Danijel Cubelic, Heidelberg (GER) I ECCAR Vice President, Coalition’s administrative office
- Siegfried Nagl, Graz (AT) I Former Mayor of the Human Rights City Graz
13:00-13:30 Break
13:30-14:30 Workshop session
two parallel workshop groups covering the same content
- Workshop Session 3: Implementing frameworks
The workshops will be held to elaborate local authorities’ and practitioners’ feedback and recommendations to international organisations. Their experience in implementing international frameworks and documents form the basis for this feedback. The experiences and visions of the next generation will feature strongly in this session.
14:30-15:00 Break
15:00-15:30 Closing
Representatives of local authorities present their feedback, discussion
- Thoughts on the day I Agnes Romanin, European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy at the University Graz (AT)
Friday, 4 February 2022: Networking and opportunities for professionalization
On Day 4, the next generation human rights professionals will have an informal place to engage and connect with established human rights experts and practitioners. The networking day seeks to establish a link between today’s stakeholders and tomorrow’s actors in order to exchange practical knowledge of working in the field, discuss the realization of future perspectives and aspirations, and provide insight into the opportunity to professionalize in human rights, a field of professional activity that is becoming increasingly important at the local level.
13.30-15:00 Introduction of human rights experts
- Kostantinos Tararas I UNESCO (tbc)
- Milou Jansen I digital rights expert, Municipality of Amsterdam (NL)
- Vickie Casanova-Willis I former Director of US Human Rights Network (US)
- Lionel Nzamba Nzamba (UCLG Africa – Youth Unit)
Four parallel roundtable sessions
Human rights experts and practitioners engage in informal discussion with next generation human rights professionals and practitioners
Monday, 7 February 2022: Building bridges towards sustainable results
Day 5 is dedicated to synthesizing the findings from the previous days of discussion and collaboratively finalizing an Outcome Document aimed at local governments. The Outcome Document shall draw together encouragements for local governments on how to best implement regional and global agendas at the local level following a human rights-based approach.
11:45-12:00 Introduction and organisational matters
12:00-13:00 Plenary Session D
Moderation I Markus Möstl
Impulse speeches by
- Konstantinos Tararas I UNESCO
- Seynabou Dia I OHCHR
- Harald Bergmann I Spokesperson of the Human Rights Congress at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
- Gyonggu Shin, Gwangju International Center, Gwangju (KOR)
- Klaus Starl, Director of the UNESCO Centre, Graz (AT)
- Plenary discussion (25 min)
13:00-13:30 Break
13:30-14:30 Workshop sessions: 3 parallel workshops
Aim of the workshops: Collaborative finalisation of the Outcome Document:
- Regional Workshop Europe, North America, Oceania
- Regional Workshop Africa and Western Asia
- Regional Workshop Eastern and South Asia
14:30-15:00 Break
15:00-15:30 Closing
