The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has always been convinced that local and regional good governance entails a full compliance with fundamental freedoms and human rights. Local governments, with a political leadership accountable to citizens, are key players in guaranteeing human rights.  The Congress has adopted several reports and has been collecting data and good practice examples of human rights applications at local and regional levels of government.

The aim is to:

  • promote awareness among elected representatives of their responsibilities in dealing with human rights issues that affect people’s everyday lives at the local level ;
  • encourage the national, as well as local, authorities to be trained in the field of human rights ;
  • disseminate reliable information among citizens about their rights.

The Congress has developed a series "Human rights handbook for local and regional authorities" to provide a practical tool for local and regional elected representatives, but also for the staff of territorial administrations. The aim is to highlight the practical implementation of human rights at local and regional levels and to facilitate the exchange of experience between local and regional elected representatives.Each handbook presents examples of initiatives implemented by communities and provides contact details for each of them.

Congress texts
Other texts