A/HRC/38/22 recommendations, guidelines and best practices, should be brought to the local level; and (d) there was a need to develop guiding principles for local governments and human rights. 13. She further noted that local authorities were close to the everyday needs of individuals and took decisions, in particular relating to education, housing, health, the environment, water, and law and order, which were directly connected with the effective implementation of human rights. A clear link to the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development could be established. Decisions at the local level could enforce or weaken the possibility for individuals to enjoy their human rights and particular attention must be given to the promotion and protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. 14. Ms. Pabel concluded by highlighting the importance of having a proper legal framework and adequate financial resources to ensure effective local governance and adequate implementation of human rights. Furthermore, strengthening democratic participation at the local level should go hand in hand with the promotion and protection of human rights. 15. Mr. An began his statement by observing that local governments were the frontline duty-bearers and agents of change in upholding human rights because local government was the closest and most accessible tier of public administration within the State. He noted that many human rights were embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals. He then shared his experiences as Governor of South Chungcheong Province. Progress had been made in implementing human rights in the province, an urban-rural region with a population of over 2.1 million people. The province had enacted its own human rights ordinance in 2012. That was followed by the establishment of a human rights commission in 2013, a human rights declaration in 2014, the creation of a human rights centre in 2016 and a “2030 vision for gender equality” in 2017. He noted that the human rights promotion team of the local authority dealt with a wide range of human rights issues and the human rights watch group of 150 members, nominated through a public application process, had actively engaged in workshops on human rights awareness, identified neglected areas of human rights and shared good practices in the province. 16. In terms of challenges, Mr. An said it was important to resolve disparities between urban areas and rural communities, particularly as rural communities had less good access than urban areas to the public services essential to their enjoyment of human rights, such as housing, education and culture. He added that rural communities and farmers faced many challenges. Since taking office, he had adopted the three agri-innovations initiative to assist farmers, rural villages and agriculture in local development, which shared many of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 17. Mr. An said he had also tried to create an enabling environment for local human rights governance. He stressed that the solution to accomplishing this was building trust between local government and its citizens through their free and genuine participation. To that end, the province had sought to use various channels to better communicate and cooperate with its citizens and civil society. Furthermore, he said that multilevel governance strengthened through decentralization was critical for the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, based on human rights and democracy, and added that the local self-governing system in the Republic of Korea could be improved to allow for more autonomy. 18. Mr. An argued that it was important for local governments to be connected with the United Nations human rights system. He said local governments had not been given adequate space to participate effectively in the universal periodic review and the work of the human rights treaty bodies. He added that the role of local governments seemed to have been significantly limited in the voluntary national reviews of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. He expressed the hope that the relevant international standards would be further developed, so that they would be a useful instrument for local governments in devising concrete strategies for the promotion and protection of human rights. 19. Ms. Sekkenes stated that for human rights to be fulfilled and development to be successful and equitable, it must be locally owned. Localization meant that the design, implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals reflected the priorities of the local people. She noted that the central message of the 2030 Agenda for 4