Category: News

Happy New Year from the International Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights at the Local and Regional Levels under the auspices of UNESCO! As we open a new year, the many things we achieved together with our partners in 2025 provide us with the energy for the work ahead.

Today, on December 10th, as we celebrate International Human Rights Day, we take a moment to reflect on the vital importance of guaranteeing and upholding human rights for all.

On November 25th, the City of Graz welcomed a distinguished Ukrainian study group as part of a programme organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI). The visit focused on exploring Graz’s pioneering role as a Human Rights City and its practical implementation of human rights at the local level.

Our over 25 years of work for human rights includes the organisation of countless forums, academies, and conferences, all dedicated to enhancing human rights around the world. In this blog post we will explore how the 2015 Forum “Focusing on Human Rights” has inspired the methods and setting of our current Academy and Conference series “Human Rights Go Local:  What Works”.

In the week of 21 July 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) hosted a series of meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at continuing the dialogue on the realization of human rights at the local level. Representatives from the International Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights at the Local and Regional Levels were invited to join discussions with mayors and local governments regarding their experiences, challenges, and best practices in implementing economic, social, and cultural rights, particularly in the context of becoming a Human Rights City.