Workshop : How to enhance human rights?
14th June 2023
16h30 – 17h00
Brussels Urban Summit 2023
The purpose of this session is to raise awareness on the advantages for local authorities to adopt a human rights-based approach in their public policies. Enhancing urban equality, diversity and democratic participation.
Our aim is to co-create with municipalities and local actors a unique set of indicators and monitoring tools integrating people and their rights at the centre of public policies and practices! Cities using this system will be able to regularly evaluate their achievements and analyse the influence of their work in making human rights a reality for the people.
Through participation, cities can become human rights cities and strengthen the good practices of the ones that already are! The tailor-made system responds to the specific needs of both: the cities and the people.
Cities will then acquire a sustainable methodology allowing them to regularly track and improve their achievements independently. By tracking common indicators, participating cities will also become part of a regional network.
An interactive panel discussion!
Different actors’ with different perspective will help graps pointers to why and how to engage the key actors at the local level. This in advancing human rights through their public policies and the monitoring of key human rights indicators!
Panelists:
Mrs Frédérique Hanotier, Director of the Human Rights Cities Network (HRCN), will present why cities are at the core of the implementation of human rights at the local level and will introduce the Standardized Monitoring System (SMS): what are the benefits, good practices in monitoring human rights and how to expend this mechanism to as many cities in Europe.
Mrs Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA European Association for Local Democracy Secretary General, will present how local democracy will save democracy, showing how cooperation between local governments and civil society can enhance Human Rights in the city.
Mrs Marta Suprun, external advisor to the Mayor of Lviv and expert of the Cities 4 Cities / United 4 Ukraine project implemented by the city of Lviv, will present the implications of Russian aggression on human rights in Ukraine, what municipalities involved in the project are doing at the local level to support basic human rights, and the key role of peer to peer support with European municipalities to ensure the recovery of Ukraine in a participative and people centered approach.
Dr. Bernd Voehringer, Mayor of the city of Sindelfingen and Head of the German delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in the Council of Europe, will present the experience of the city of Sindelfingen to promote human rights, the importance to establish peerto-peer links between municipalities, and the role of Local Authorities of the Congress of the Council of Europe in promoting human rights at the local level.
Mr Stephen Pittam, Chair of the York Human Rights City Network, will discuss how about engaging citizens in monitoring human rights in the City.
Moderator: Mrs Mila Paspalanova, Anti-Racial Discrimination Advisor, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Regional Office for Euro
Find the whole programme here!
