On 19 June, the Global Cities Hub co-organised, together with the Geneva Human Rights Hub and a range of institutional partners, a commemorative event marking the 20th of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Entitled “Expanding Participation, Strengthening Implementation: from National Human Rights Institutions to Indigenous Peoples to Local and Regional Governments”, the discussion explored how broader stakeholder engagement can enhance the Council’s effectiveness and impact.
Over the past two decades, the HRC has progressively opened its work to actors beyond States. National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples’ representatives have gained increasing opportunities to contribute to the Council’s activities, bringing evidence, expertise, lived experience, independence and proximity to affected communities. Their participation has enriched debates in Geneva while strengthening the connection between international human rights commitments and realities on the ground.
The event highlighted that participation is not an end in itself. The central question is whether broader engagement helps the HRC achieve greater impact through stronger implementation, more effective follow-up and better prevention of human rights violations. Speakers from civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, NHRIs and local governments emphasized that human rights are ultimately realised in communities, cities and territories. As a result, actors operating closest to rights-holders often possess knowledge, capacities and early-warning information that are indispensable to the HRC’s effectiveness.
The experience of NHRIs and Indigenous Peoples also offered valuable lessons regarding meaningful participation. Both groups have progressively secured recognised forms of engagement within the HRC, supported by formal procedures and institutional recognition. Their experience suggests that effective participation is facilitated when stakeholder roles, mandates and channels of engagement are clearly defined.
Against this backdrop, the discussion explored the growing relevance of local and regional governments (LRGs) within the international human rights system. While LRGs already contribute to human rights implementation through a variety of channels, including engagement with Special Procedures, treaty bodies and participation in National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRFs), the event also highlighted the challenges that continue to limit the engagement of LRGs in the Human Rights Council’s work, including lack of capacities, resources, expertise and also the lack of proper status at the international level. While some local authorities participate through national delegations or ad hoc initiatives, their involvement remains uneven and largely dependent on national political contexts. Participants therefore reflected on whether future discussions on stakeholder participation should also consider more structured forms of engagement for LRGs (a new status of LRGs), while preserving the intergovernmental nature of the Council.
The Global Cities Hub will continue contributing to these discussions and advocating for the recognition of the important role that LRGs play in translating international human rights commitments into concrete action for communities.