A/HRC/42/22 thereon.75 For instance, the Director of Coexistence and Human Rights of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa (see para. 30 above) presented the Directorate’s work on diversity76 during the visit of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues to Spain in 2019. 45. The special procedures have addressed human rights at the local level through communications regarding, for instance, women’s rights and protection from domestic and gender-based violence in Rome; 77 through public statements, such as in relation to the contamination of the water supply in the city of Flint (United States of America); 78 and through informal visits, for example to the city of Detroit (United States) concerning the impact of water disconnections on human rights. 79 46. The special procedures have also addressed issues regarding local government in their thematic reports; for instance, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to nondiscrimination in this context considered local government in her reports on the responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing (A/HRC/28/62) and on access to justice for the right to housing (A/HRC/40/61). In her report on governance and the right to education, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education addressed the issue of decentralization in the delivery of education (A/HRC/38/32, paras. 70–81). In his report submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fortieth session, the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights considered local governments in the Guiding Principles on human rights impact assessment of economic reforms (A/HRC/40/57; see principle 4 and comment 21.3 on principle 21). 47. National mechanisms for reporting and following up on recommendations made by international human rights mechanisms can help to strengthen policy coherence and national ownership. 80 In Mexico, federal agencies and local governments coordinate to provide information on the situation of human rights in order to comply with recommendations made by human rights mechanisms, a fact that highlights their importance for reporting and follow-up, and that of central government and local government cooperation. The Human Rights Commission of the National Conference of Governors works on, inter alia, reviewing the implementation of human rights. 48. While the involvement of local government in reporting to United Nations human rights mechanisms is at an incipient stage, the human rights office of the city of Vienna prepares the national reports of Austria for the universal periodic review, and for some of the treaty bodies. There is still a need for closer liaison between United Nations entities and local government to ensure proper preparation of reports and follow-up to recommendations made. According to the city of Nuremberg, links could be facilitated by more transparent and participative United Nations structures, and more United Nations projects relating to local human rights work. The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy of Northeastern University School of Law and the Columbia Human Rights Institute argued that greater engagement by the United Nations with cities and new mechanisms to guide cities on interacting with international human rights mechanisms 75 76 77 78 79 80 12 A/HRC/30/39/Add.2, para. 84 (j), A/HRC/32/31/Add.2, paras. 60 (e) and (g) and 65 (a) and (b), A/HRC/35/32/Add.1, paras. 49–51, A/HRC/31/54/Add.1, para. 94 (b) (i) and A/HRC/39/50/Add.2, para. 110. www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/LocalGvt//Local/Gipuzkoa5.pdf. See communication OL ITA 5/2018, available from https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmsearch/TMDocument. OHCHR, “Flint: ‘Not just about water, but human rights’ – UN experts remind ahead of President Obama’s visit”, press release, 3 May 2016. OHCHR, “Joint Press Statement by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context, and the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation: visit to city of Detroit (United States of America), 18–20 October 2014”, 20 October 2014. See OHCHR, National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow-up: A Study of State Engagement with International Human Rights Mechanisms, New York and Geneva, 2016.