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National human rights institutions are crucial to help international human rights trickle down to the local level

On October 11, 2024, the Global Cities Hub participated in a special session hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) during the 14th World Human Rights Cities Forum in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. This event was part of NHRCK’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the engagement of local governments with UN human rights mechanisms, with the goal of improving human rights implementation at the local level.

In her keynote address, GCH Co-Director Duong emphasized that “the primary reason local governments should engage more with the UN human rights system is effectiveness”. While UN mechanisms primarily interact with national governments, they can only gain a full understanding of human rights issues by involving local governments, which play a key role in implementing human rights through public services, legislation, budgeting, administration, promotion, and education.

Of course, there are barriers to greater local government engagement with the UN human rights system, including States’ reluctance, limited capacities, expertise, resources, and the absence of formal entry points in a system designed by States for States. However, informal pathways do exist. Local governments can engage with Special Procedures, Treaty Bodies, the Universal Periodic Review, or even the Human Rights Council itself. To make this happen, political will from mayors is crucial, along with support from States. National Human Rights Institutions also play a vital role in this regard, as they can effectively translate international recommendations and conclusions for local governments.

During the event, it was particularly insightful to hear from representatives of Korean local governments about the challenges they face in implementing international human rights norms at the local level. Key obstacles included a lack of awareness about the UN human rights system, limited opportunities for local governments to participate in national reporting on international obligations, insufficient decentralization, and a lack of capacity, expertise and resources. These were identified as significant barriers to meaningful local government engagement with the UN human rights system. In response to these challenges, NHRCK has started exploring practical solutions. Notably, in March 2024, NHRCK launched the “International Human Rights Information System” to improve access to international human rights instruments. NHRCK has also initiated training programs for local government officials, disseminates concluding observations from treaty bodies and UPR recommendations at the local level, and plans to conduct further research on best practices from other countries to address these issues.

The GCH sincerely commends the National Human Rights Commission of Korea for their proactive approach and for taking concrete steps to strengthen collaboration between local governments and the UN human rights system. After all, human rights begin at home!