Background

The Human Rights Council resolution 57/12 on local government and human rights requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a one-day panel discussion to exchange and review the best practices of States, local governments and other relevant stakeholders in overcoming the various challenges that local governments face in promoting and protecting human rights, including those related to better coordination and cooperation between national and local governments, human rights education and capacity-building for local government officials and supporting better engagement of local governments in the work of United Nations human rights mechanisms, and to prepare and present a report for the sixty-third session of the Council.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomes any relevant information with regard to the preparation of the panel discussion and report, including:

1. What capacity building initiatives have been taken by your local or regional government to realize economic, social and cultural rights (such as the rights to adequate housing, education, health, food, water and sanitation) and to embed human rights-based approaches into the work of your local or regional government?

2. Please describe to what extent your local or regional government has integrated international human rights norms and principles, including labour standards, into public procurement processes. Please provide examples of capacity building initiatives in this regard. 
a. What has been done by your local or regional government to incorporate international human rights norms and principles, including labour standards and the principles of equality and non-discrimination into the selection and award criteria for public procurement? Are there practices in place that provide preferential contracting to groups that face discrimination or that are in situations of vulnerability? 
b. In what ways are human rights considerations, including labour standards and the principles of equality and non-discrimination, integrated in contract performance clauses for public procurement in your local or regional government? Are there mechanisms that allow for contracts to be amended or annulled when adverse human rights impacts are identified? Does your local or regional government apply performance indicators explicitly linked to the realization of human rights to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of public procurement? 
c. Is there a complaint mechanism to address human rights grievances at any stage of the procurement process to ensure accountability and access to remedy?

3. Please describe the existing practices of your local or regional government to engage in the work of the UN human rights mechanisms and bodies, either directly or through the national mechanism for implementation reporting and follow-up on human rights (NMIRF). 
a. How is your local or regional government involved in the review processes conducted under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the UN Treaty Bodies and the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, including their country visits and annual thematic reports? 
b. How does your local or regional government ensure that the recommendations made by the UN human rights mechanisms are implemented at the local or regional level? 
c. Is your local or regional government a member of the national mechanism for implementation, reporting and follow-up on human rights (NMIRF), or does the NMIRF consult with local or regional governments? If yes, please provide concrete examples. 
d. How could the engagement of local and regional governments in the work on the UN human rights mechanisms be strengthened?

4. What are the existing practices to ensure coordination and cooperation between and among national, regional and local governments to implement human rights at all levels of government?

5. Please provide examples, good practices, challenges, and recommendations with regard to the above-mentioned issues.

How inputs will be used?

Unless requested otherwise, the information provided may be made publicly available.