On 10 December, International Human Rights Day, Congress Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC/G/PD) took part in the Human Rights and Equality Forum in Bălți, Republic of Moldova, organised by the People’s Advocate (Ombudsperson), the Council for Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination and Ensuring Equality, the Council of Europe and international partners.

“The role of local and regional authorities in protecting human rights is still underestimated,  many human rights’ violations can indeed be prevented early if local and regional authorities are involved,” she stressed during the session on local governance and human rights, highlighting that structured consultation with municipalities was essential for more effective and efficient use of public resources.

The session served to promote the new Congress report “Human Rights at the Local Level in the Republic of Moldova”. The participants reflected on the localisation of human rights and discussed practical ways to strengthen human rights-based governance at the local level.

“Our presence this year in Bălți at the Human Rights Forum reaffirms commitment of the People’s Advocate office to bringing discussions and solutions closer to communities. Only through transparent and participatory local institutions responsive to the needs of every citizen can we build a society in which justice, fairness, and dignity are real values, not just declarative principles”, stated People’s Advocate Ceslav Panico on this occasion.

The event was supported by the project “Promoting Multilevel Dialogue, Open Government, and Human Rights at the Local Level int he Republic of Moldova” (2025–2028), implemented as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.