A/HRC/27/59
aimed at ensuring local implementation of human rights. The best practices illustrated
below can be divided into two categories: (a) practices relating to human rights in general,
i.e., mainstreaming human rights into local authorities’ activities; and (b) those relating to
specific human rights or human rights of specific groups.
57.
For instance, in Australia, all government services, including local government, are
required to operate according to a code of conduct that includes “recognition of human
rights”. The Australian Local Government Association and the National Human Rights
Commission work in cooperation to operationalize human rights locally. Further, the
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission facilitates local government
forums, and has developed a toolkit for local government. The latter commission reviews
local government programmes and practices on request to ensure they are compatible with
the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and provide training to local
councils. In the United States of America, human rights mainstreaming in local
administration is taking place through initiatives such as “Bringing Human Rights Home:
how state and local governments can use human rights to advance local policy”. In an
inclusive approach to development that gives equal chances to citizens, Burundi maintains a
policy of integrating the new national policy on human rights into the plans of local
administration. In Hungary, a priority goal is to monitor implementation of the
recommendations made to Hungary under the universal periodic review, which can and will
be done via local government. In Colombia, through its programme “Medellin Protects
Human Rights”, the City Council seeks to guarantee for the city integral protection,
acknowledgement, restoration and reparation of human rights. The organs empowered for
the implementation of those goals are the Sub-Secretariat of Human Rights, which is
composed of three units, including a Human Rights Unit.
58.
A number of initiatives are building local governments’ capacity on human rights.
Burundi has targeted the police for human rights training. Mexico conducts sessions for
civil servants on the new constitutional principles, including human rights. Georgia focuses
capacity-building on citizens directly, rather than local governments. In Switzerland, best
practices include the activities of the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Human Rights aimed at
raising awareness on human rights issues, such as racism; three examples of best practices
on racism include actions to inform, train and raise the public’s awareness in different
regions.
59.
In Luxembourg, many best practices apply to the integration of foreigners into
society and promoting multilinguism and multiculturalism. For example, an office for
welcoming and integrating foreign nationals in Luxembourg has been created to facilitate
the integration process and is supported by the national, local authorities and civil society.
In Hungary, local governments are required to analyse the conditions of disadvantaged
groups in their area and promote equal opportunities for them. The Alliance for Democracy
and Tolerance — against Extremism and Violence focuses on transferring successful
projects and possible solutions from municipality to municipality across regions of
Germany. In Slovenia, the Local Government Act defines the rights of national minorities
and the Roma population to have formal representation in municipal councils, and other
municipalities might establish municipal bodies to deal with human rights issues. A
programme there for solving settlement issues of Roma population is managed by the State
and financially supported by the State budget. Furthermore, local governments in Slovenia
must ensure and work towards gender mainstreaming. In April 1998, in the United States,
San Francisco became the first municipality in the world to adopt a local ordinance
reflecting the principles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women. The Commission on the Status of Women was designated
as the implementing and monitoring agency for the Convention in San Francisco.
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