During the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Italy organised, together with Paraguay, the OHCHR, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and the University of Bologna, a side-event on the role of local and regional governments in monitoring human rights and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
The event highlighted how local and regional governments hold the closest position to communities and are of the utmost importance in guaranteeing access to essential public services and promoting inclusive decision-making processes, including combating inequalities. The initiative has therefore raised the opportunity for local governments to be more involved in the UN system, so that they are recognised and valued as key actors in the protection of human rights.
“Human rights have their origins at the local level. Local governments are at the forefront of ensuring human rights for all, thanks to their proximity to the people and their essential role in implementing policies on the ground. They are in direct contact with the population: they receive questions, requests and complaints from residents, developing and implementing policies that directly affect their lives,” said the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi.
The Ambassador outlined the importance of cooperation between individual states and their local governments in the Human Rights Council and recalled the relevance of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which Italy submitted to on 20 January, to stimulate the implementation of human rights by local governments.
He pointed out that the future of global cooperation relies on a multilateral system that includes cities as well as local and regional governments. “We are a candidate to become a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term and we will ensure that we continue to contribute in that capacity to enhance the role of regional and local governments in the multilateral system, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that individuals enjoy human rights.”
The President of the Italian Interministerial Human Rights Committee (CIDU), Min. Plen. Giovanni Iannuzzi, also participated in the event to represent how CIDU is a unique example of involving and informing local levels, thanks to its continuous cooperation with, among others, the National Association of Italian Municipalities and the State-Regions Conference, of which it is an integral part.
