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 cooperation 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.

The Charter-Agenda update process is also aimed at gathering relevant inputs and perspectives by local governments on human rights and the right to the city, with a view to nourish the UCLG "Pact for the Future" process: A new roadmap for our world organization based on revamping the social contract on People, Government and Planet.

Reach the UCLG-CSIPDHR Executive Secretariat at cisdp1@uclg.org to express your interest in participating in this process.