Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City

The year 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) of the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City: The first document to propose an international framework for the understanding and implementation of human rights in the city from a local government perspective. Through the decade that followed, the Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights (UCLG-CSIPDHR) provided local governments with a platform to promote this document within UCLG, as well as to enhance its visibility in both local policy innovation as well as the global human rights conversation.

Why launching this process now?

The Charter-Agenda update process seeks to reinforce networking among local governments and key actors in the human rights cities movement. The aim is to articulate diverse thematic and sectoral contributions, updating and expanding the global-local vision on human rights offered by the Charter-Agenda with new approaches and territorial experiences. At a time of deep global transformations and uncertainties triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, this process can help reinforce local governments’ role as guardians of the next generation of human rights.

How will this process develop?

The update process will take place in simultaneous courses of action, distributed throughout 2021 and 2022:

A first course of action, based on consultation 

Local governments and key stakeholders in the human rights cities movement are invited to send their contributions and/or express their interest in joining the process. Several online resources will allow interested parties to send their contributions related to the Charter-Agenda and local government networking on human rights. The Committee and its partners will also organize several live events throughout this period.

A second course of action, based on co-creation 

A more reduced group of local governments and partners will build on the various contributions received over the first months of the process to elaborate an update proposal of the Charter. This process will continue to include constant consultation and receive feedback from various participants. The most immediate outcome of this phase will be a draft version of the new document which this process aims at developing. 

A third course of action, based on promotion and advocacy

In parallel to the consultation and co-creation phases, actors involved will work together to promote the Charter process among other local governments and relevant stakeholders. This effort includes reaching out to UCLG consultation mechanisms and fostering dialogue with the wider UCLG constituency. The goal is to make sure this process is able to nourish the wider UCLG efforts to co-create a new Pact for the Future and renew its social agenda.

Reach the UCLG-CSIPDHR Executive Secretariat at cisdp1@uclg.org to express your interest in participating in this process or visit the “Consultation phase” section to know more about it.