“In 2020 we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a major treaty ratified by the 47 member States and whose implementation must be carried out as close as possible to the citizens,” stated Harald Bergmann (Netherlands, ILDG), Congress thematic spokesperson on Human Rights, on 15 June 2020. “As mayors, councillors or governors, local and regional elected representatives are in charge of public services which are inseparable from the implementation of human rights.”
The European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, which has jurisdiction to rule on alleged violations of the Convention, has dealt with various applications concerning local and regional authorities. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the ECHR, the Congress has published a special file detailing the Court's case law in this field, as well as the adopted texts and the Congress's activities to promote the local and regional dimension of human rights.
“Whether in the fields of housing, healthcare, education, integration, social assistance, security and public order or town planning, local and regional authorities have an essential role to play in the protection of fundamental rights,” stressed the Congress spokesperson. “I invite local and regional authorities to commit themselves in this respect by drawing on the documentary resources available in this file dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the ECHR,” he added.
The human rights issue will be on the agenda of the Congress Monitoring Committee’s next meeting, which will examine, on 21 September, the second volume of the Human Rights Handbook for local and regional authorities on social rights. The first volume, published in 2019, focuses on the role of local and regional elected representatives in protecting the right to non-discrimination for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs); Roma and Travellers; LGBTI persons.
Among the Congress priorities is action at the local and regional level on environmental challenges whose close links with human rights have been highlighted in several decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities promotes the territorial dimension of human rights through its statutory work – in particular when monitoring the European Charter of Local Self-Government – as well as through its co-operation and thematic activities. The latter, in particular, are in line with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda 2030, and in particular SDG 16, which aims to ensure the respect of human rights and access to justice for all.
