A/HRC/30/49 mechanism and also as a means of upholding human rights at the local level. Ombudspersons monitor local administrations to ensure they do not violate the rights and principles set down in the Charter. 39. Only a few States have human rights protection mechanisms at the local level. For instance, in Switzerland, several cities have established ombudsperson offices. These offices are independent organs that mediate in case of conflicts between private individuals and the authorities. Even though they are not authorized to make binding decisions, only recommendations, they have proven to be a successful means to resolve disputes. In the Republic of Korea, several local governments have established human rights commissions. In the Netherlands, complaints regarding human rights violations can be filed with the national ombudsperson or with the complaint mechanism of a municipality. In Denmark, the Copenhagen Citizens’ Counsellor was the country’s first citizen counselling institution established by the Municipal Council to create an independent ombudsperson function in Copenhagen. Today, 21 municipalities have citizen counselling institutions. In Norway, municipalities have ombudspersons for certain administrative areas. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a number of local governments have established human rights commissions, which acts as advisory bodies to municipal councils, although they are not a mechanism for the protection of human rights per se. In Australia, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission facilitate local government forums. It developed a toolkit for local government, which reviews local government programmes and practices upon request to ensure that they are compatible with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, and provides training to local councils. In Azerbaijan, the Council of Independent Experts at the Ombudsman Institute was established in April 2003, in which members of influential NGOs and civil society dealing with protection of human rights are represented. The Commissioner conducts conferences, trainings, round-table discussions and other activities in association with NGOs. 15 40. In a number of countries (e.g. Azerbaijan, Ireland and Slovenia), the national ombudsperson office is empowered to investigate complaints not only against State agencies, but also local government authorities. 41. The Municipal Code of Guatemala establishes the obligation of local government to convene different social sectors of the municipality to participate in the development and institutionalization of municipal public policies and plans for urban and rural development. It also stipulates the preservation and promotion of rights of communities to their cultural identification according to their values, languages, traditions and customs. The Code also authorizes the establishment of commissions for compliance. VII. Human rights city: Conceptual framework and guiding principles 42. The idea of a “human rights city” is one of the globally developed initiatives aimed at localizing human rights. It is based on the recognition of cities as key players in the promotion and protection of human rights, and refers in general to a city whose local government and local population are morally and legally governed by human rights principles. The concept was launched in 1997 by the People’s Movement for Human Rights 15 representatives participated in the event and united their voices to call for a stronger political acknowledgement as key actors in safeguarding human rights in a highly urbanized world. Available from http://www.uclg-cisdp.org/en/right-to-the-city/european-charter#sthash.E5JeKdIt.dpuf. Azerbaijan, Institute of the Commissioner for Human Rights. 11