A/HRC/42/22 30. Remembrance activities, anniversaries and other special events are another effective method to foster cooperation between local governments and local stakeholders for the promotion and protection of human rights. One such example is the Stolperstein project, 35 which commemorates victims of the Nazis by placing a plaque in front of the victims’ last residence of choice, after obtaining permission from the local authorities. 36 A similar memorial service is provided by Barrios x Memoria y Justicia in Buenos Aires, where, since 2005, it has laid tiles in neighbourhoods in tribute to victims of the military dictatorship.37 The cities of Sorocaba (Brazil), Grigny (France) and Nuremberg (Germany) all highlight the importance of teaching about the Holocaust and commemorating the Second World War. The city of Grigny has made a point of giving peace-related names to public spaces. In Spain, the city of Gipuzkoa includes historical memorialization in the functions of its General Directorate for Coexistence and Human Rights. 31. The Geneva Declaration on human rights and cultural heritage: committed cities working together, 38 signed by various cities, 39 reaffirmed the importance of protecting cultural heritage, given that the destruction of cultural heritage erases human memory and denigrates human values.40 The Declaration commits cities to putting people and their rights at the centre of policies, and outlines participatory mechanisms for cultural heritage rehabilitation. 32. Libraries are an important tool for local governments to advance human rights. Local governments have a particular responsibility to ensure that they receive the necessary support and are allowed to operate freely. 41 Libraries deliver services that advance the rights to education and to participation in cultural life and public affairs. They also facilitate access to information by enabling people to know their rights, disseminate their culture and maintain communities.42 They can also offer Internet services and training about privacy online. IV. Local governments and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda 33. Local governments are key actors in localizing the commitments undertaken in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development43 and the New Urban Agenda adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). The expertise and knowledge of local government officials are assets in implementing the 2030 Agenda, including its pledge to leave no one behind and to target those furthest behind. Responsibility for implementation and review is often shared between national and local governments. At the intersessional meeting of the Human Rights Council held in January 2019 on human rights and the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed out that implementing the 2030 Agenda required stronger partnerships between stakeholders at all levels. 44 In its report entitled “Human Rights Cities and the SDGs” of 2018,45 the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law pointed out human rights cities were better placed to achieve the 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 8 www.stolpersteine.eu/en/. Eliza Apperly, “The Holocaust memorial of 70,000 stones”, BBC, 29 March 2019. See www.telam.com.ar/notas/201503/98952-dia-de-la-memoria-baldosas.html. www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/CulturalRights/Declaration26March2018_EN.pdf. See www.ville-geneve.ch/themes/geneve-internationale/declaration-geneve/villes-signataires/. See www.standup4humanrights.org/en/highlights_16.html. Submission by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Submission by the city of Naples. See https://rwi.lu.se/publications/human-rights-cities-and-the-sdgs/. “Human rights and the 2030 Agenda: empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”, OHCHR, 16 January 2019. Available from https://portal.research.lu.se/portal/files/53375782/HR_Cities_and_SDGs_print_updated.pdf.