A/HRC/30/49 Institute at Columbia Law School in the United States works to promote human rights at home and ensure United States compliance with international human rights standards. The project advocates for greater coordination of federal, state and local efforts to promote and protect human rights within the United States, working directly with state and local agencies. However, state and local efforts are ad hoc, patchwork and vulnerable to elimination through budget cuts.29 67. In Denmark, a development project was launched: “The municipality and Civil Society” (2008) to test the extent to which new ways to share responsibilities between the municipality and civil society can help to increase the quality of local government tasks. There is an untapped potential – both in terms of new areas for closer interaction and in relation to the involvement of new groups of volunteers. 30 68. Graz is a member of the executive committee of the European City Coalition against Racism, the “Forum der Europapreisträgerstädte”, and the cities coalition “Cities for Children”, and was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003. In November 2009, Graz invited partner-towns to exchange successful methods of integration for immigrants against racism. Campaigns against racism and anti-discrimination have been organized with other cities and with NGOs. 69. 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 this goal are the Sub-Secretary of Human Rights, which is composed of three Units, including a Human Rights Unit, whose activities and some of its programmes are described by the collaborator. The Unit has the duty to coordinate its actions with the diverse national organs, social organizations and NGOs. The Unit includes a Municipal System for Information on Human Rights, which consists of a tool for the gathering, processing and analysis of information related to human rights and International Humanitarian Law. 70. In San Francisco, the Commission on the Status of Women is required by a city charter amendment to conduct gender analysis of its commissions and boards every two years. There also, the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles Initiative is a programme that helps companies around the world achieve greater equality and build more productive workplaces through practical implementations of the Initiative. A Violence against Women Prevention and Intervention Grants Program addresses domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in a variety of San Francisco communities. San Francisco’s Collaborative against Human Trafficking, launched in 2010, comprises a diverse array of community-based organizations and government agencies dedicated to eliminating modernday slavery from the city.31 X. Conclusions and recommendations 71. Civil society should actively be involved in human rights planning and implementation at the local level. It can pressure local authorities into adopting a human rights-based approach and making them more engaged. It also has an important monitoring role and can provide independent information and assessment 29 30 31 Human Rights Institute, Columbia Law School. Denmark, The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Questionnaire on local government and human rights”, available at http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/AdvisoryCom/LocalGvt/Denmark%20%20Danish%20Institute%20for%20Human%20Rights.pdf. San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. 17