UPR Cities Project

The Universal Periodic Review process involves quadrennial reviews of every United Nations member government's human rights performance. It was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2006 in order to strengthen governments' compliance with international human rights obligations and to help identify models of best practices. Another aim of the process, and a requirement for improved human rights performance, is to develop greater connections between people in local communities and international human rights processes. Work at local levels is critical to building a global constituency of human rights defenders who can help defend rights locally while enhancing our global capacities for protecting and promoting human rights, dignity, and justice for everyone. The human rights cities movement is an effort to help further this work, and we're encouraging local activists to take part in this 2019 UPR review of the United States.

Key steps to participating in the UPR Cities Project:

• Identify groups and activists in your city or community to be part of the project--this might include general human rights groups like Amnesty International, or groups working on specific rights such as housing, water, gender violence, immigrant rights, anti-racism, etc.
• Create one or more spaces or opportunities for consultation with residents about human rights issues in your community. This can be public meetings, surveys, or other kinds of activities aimed at generating local input into the UPR process.
• Compile lessons from your consultations into a 5 page summary report. What are some key problems/challenges faced by people in your region? Are there some areas where your community does well? (We want to identify both positive advances as well as places where work is needed).
• Develop a short 1-2 page "lobbying document" that can be used by organizers to shape the overall US civil society positions at the United Nations Human Rights Council UPR meeting in April 2020.
• Documentation must be received by [DATE TBA] to be included in the national compilation report to the United Nations Human Rights Commission on [October 3, 2019].

Templates

Tips for Preparing a Report to International Human Rights Review Processes

Birmingham Mayor's Office Human Rights Dialogue

• Local governments have jurisdiction over a range of human rights issues, including those related to housing, education, employment, and criminal justice. Mayors are particularly well-situated to advance human rights and build a culture of human rights based on dignity, freedom from discrimination, and opportunity. This document distills the conversations that took place at the Birmingham Human Rights Dialogue in March 2015, situating the event within the larger human rights framework. It describes how human rights can strengthen local policy-making and offers concrete ways that mayors throughout the United States can incorporate human rights standards and strategies into their daily work to build upon human rights initiatives emerging across the United States. (This report was prepared by Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute in collaboration with the Office of Birmingham Mayor William Bell.) See Appendix A for outline of Birmingham’s Human Rights Dialogue program. Panels included the following themes: Social Justice, Education, Immigration, Marriage Equality, Homelessness & Poverty.

Other links?

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