A/HRC/42/22 risen, leading to problems in access to housing, energy and food. The Union of Municipalities of Turkey has documented the increased costs to municipalities of hosting 3.6 million asylum seekers from the Syrian Arab Republic. Municipal funding by the central government was in fact insufficient to meet associated additional costs, which were only partly offset by grants made by international and civil society organizations. 53. The challenges posed by lack of coordination, information-sharing and limited resources can be severe for local governments. 84 Small municipalities pay less attention to human rights issues than do metropolitan municipalities owing in part to the quantity of information provided to officials.85 54. Corruption is another challenge posed at the local level. 86 In a report, CIVICUS observed that “some of the worst examples of corruption and personal rule are found at the local level, where politicians and officials may enjoy personal fiefdoms with little oversight”, and that local-level elections can be more challenging to monitor, even in healthy and inclusive democracies.87 55. A lack of framework for work on human rights by local government is an additional problem. Despite events like the Policy Lab on Human Rights Cities held in May 2018, organized by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the city of Vienna to explore pathways for becoming a human rights city, 88 there is no common framework or methodology for becoming a human rights city. 89 Peer learning opportunities such as regional human rights cities networks could streamline good practices. Similarly, to address the lack of a common framework, the 2018 World Human Rights Cities Forum recommended that stakeholders develop a global human rights cities network. VII. Conclusions and recommendations 56. In the present report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has considered many good practices of cooperation between local government and local stakeholders for the promotion and protection of human rights. Such good practices range from awareness-raising initiatives conducted by local governments to local ombudspersons and other recourse mechanisms that can help to find solutions and promote human rights, and the systematic incorporation by some cities of human rights principles into policymaking, together with a commitment to strategic litigation. While local governments frequently integrate human rights considerations into their daily work, only a small proportion of them worldwide offer dedicated human rightsbased programmes or initiatives. 57. Of course, protecting civic space and providing an enabling environment for civil society participation are essential not only to respect rights but also to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the work of local governments. A number of local authorities are engaged in dialogue and collaboration with civil society organizations. Greater participation of local stakeholders in local government activities and public affairs to promote and protect human rights at the local level should be fostered. 58. Meetings such as the World Human Rights Cities Forum provide an important opportunity to gain an insight into more effective ways to promote and protect human rights at the local level, and serve as a place for cities to share their experiences. Although such meetings are invaluable and should be supported, more sustained engagement by local governments is required, particularly with the United Nations human rights protection system. Those who made submissions for the preparation of 84 85 86 87 88 89 14 Submission by the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy of Northeastern University School of Law and the Columbia Human Rights Institute, and Senegal. Submission by Catherine Le Bris, p. 5. Submissions by CIVICUS and the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development. CIVICUS, Democracy for All; Beyond a Crisis of Imagination, 2018, p. 21. See Vienna+25: Building Trust: Making Human Rights a Reality for All, annex. Submission by the Human Rights Cities Network.