A/HRC/38/40 H. Technology and innovation and international solidarity 48. The pervasive influence of technology forces consideration of how international solidarity, in the areas of access to and use of technology and innovation and technical know-how, can facilitate a much fuller realization of human rights universally. The Independent Expert notes a widening gap in access to digital technologies between the North and the South, urban and rural areas, rich and poor, and young persons and older persons. Similarly, the rapid advancement of technologies has begun to affect different categories of employment. Automation and the use of robotics may potentially transform, over the next decades, the ways in which different categories of employment are distributed and result in the loss of several categories of professions, usually comprised of the lowerpaid workforce, which in many countries is made up of a significant number of persons from migrant and minority communities, and in which women are often disproportionately represented. 49. The Independent Expert intends to study and report on questions related to these relationships. He will, in particular, consider the future of human rights-based international solidarity and cooperation in the areas of technology transfer (or the lack thereof) and the digital space, highlight the different categories of employment that could be affected by automation and link these with workforce statistics, and show the interconnections between technology, innovation and the change in the digital divide. I. Cities and local governments as agents of international solidarity 50. Cities and other local institutions and local governments can play an important role in the promotion and implementation of human rights, as well as in the conceptualization and practice of human rights-based international solidarity. 51. The Independent Expert recalls that cities and local institutions tend to be closer to their constituencies and are sometimes more politically progressive and diverse than their counterparts at the national level. This is often the case with large cities and agglomerations. Furthermore, local institutions and local governments are often mandated to deliver services, such as education, housing and health, which are essential for the realization of economic and social rights. 52. The Independent Expert is well aware that many cities and local institutions across the world are increasingly expressing human rights-based solidarity with individuals, groups and communities from or located in other places around the world. For instance, many cities have expressed solidarity with migrants and refugees, including by championing fair policies in relation to such groups, supporting and launching protests, and even defying or undermining some anti-migrant and anti-refugee policies and practices and xenophobic discourses, initiated by their regional or national governments. These “sanctuary cities” have exercised their authority against national governments to express solidarity and protect refugees and migrants. 53. The Independent Expert also notes that while some Governments have withdrawn from certain multilateral agreements related to international cooperation, several cities and local governments have pledged to remain committed to those agreements, in opposition to decisions made by their national authorities. Similarly, some cities and local governments have taken major steps towards reducing their carbon emissions, by investing in and promoting cleaner and renewable energy and otherwise implementing sustainability policies. 54. In the light of the above, the Independent Expert intends to study and report on the role of cities and local governments in promoting and expressing human rights-based international solidarity in regard to a number of important issues, such as climate change, migration, and refugee flows. In doing so, he will assess how the expression of international solidarity by these local institutions presents a new opportunity to advance the promotion and protection of human rights. 13