A/HRC/30/49
of local government performance. Civil society organizations may also work directly
with local government to strengthen its human rights expertise and awareness.
72.
Local public officials should keep up ongoing dialogue with citizens and with
civil society. There have to be well-developed channels for this communication and
collaboration.
73.
Measures should be taken, both nationally and internationally, to strengthen
civil society capacity to monitor and engage with local government. Outside large
urban municipalities, civil society is often weak and has little experience of monitoring
or cooperating with local government.32 International city networks such as the United
Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) can play a key role in developing toolkits,
foster research, provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and create
communities for action.
74.
Central government is responsible for providing valuable information on
human rights and their impact at the local level to local governments. This obligation
to inform the respective bodies at the local level includes both human rights of the
national constitution or other law and human rights guaranteed by international law.
Developments in improving human rights on the international level (e.g. new treaties
and conventions, recommendations, guidelines and examples of best practice) must be
brought to the local level. In doing so, it is of utmost importance that there is more
than mere information in abstracto. There is a need for making human rights more
concrete and more practicable for the specific needs on the local level. Particularly
when it comes to international guarantees of human rights, the central government
has to translate the relevant issues of human rights protection into concrete measures
to be taken or standards to be obeyed.
75.
In making human rights more practicable and more effective on the local level,
specific areas that are highly connected to the effective implementation of human
rights at the local level should be identified. For example, if public services are
provided at the local level, this can be identified as a field where non-discriminatory
access must be guaranteed. In order to support the local government in the
observance of human rights, “road maps” for human rights implementation for these
specific areas should be developed. They could be a valuable tool to facilitate the
implementation of human rights at the local level (by non-experts in human rights).
76.
In its report to the Human Rights Council, the Advisory Committee
emphasized the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights
(A/HRC/28/73). It recommended building up an integrated strategy for the promotion
of human rights and for the fight against corruption. This outcome of the report is
also relevant for the promotion of human rights at the local level. Specific attention
should be paid to any area at the local level being prone to corruption, especially the
provision of public services. On the one side, taking measures against corruption
should be regarded as a human rights issue. On the other side, promoting human
rights cannot be successful and effective without taking measures against corruption.
Specific consideration should therefore be given to any preventive measures in this
regard.
77.
In the context of monitoring of the domestic implementation of international
human rights commitments, the relevant United Nations mechanisms should
encourage States to engage in a dialogue with local governments as well. Local
authorities should be involved in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in respect of
32
18
Local Government and Human Rights: Doing Good Service, p. 76.
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