Expert Workshop on Local Government and Human Rights

09:00-16:00 on 15 May (Friday) 2015

Gwangju, Republic of Korea

Concept Note

(Draft 3, 20-1 April 2015)

  1. The proposed Expert Workshop on Local Government and Human Rights (hereafter “Workshop) is the second international meeting of human rights experts to gather main inputs and content for the final report of the United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee (UN HRCAC) on the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights, according to the UN HRC resolution on local government and human rights (A/HRC/27/L.62). The report is to be presented at the 30th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) to be held in Geneva in September 2015.
  1. The Workshop, as requested by the Resolution, aims to identify main challenges faced by local governments in the promotion and protection of human rights. Then, recommendations will be made to tackle those challenges based on best practices in human rights mainstreaming in local administration and public services. The first workshop was held in Gwangju on 15 May 2014 to prepare key inputs for the first progress report of the UN HRCAC which is attached in the annex.
  1. The Workshop is jointly organized jointly by the Metropolitan City of Gwangju and the Korea Human Rights Foundation (KHRF) in cooperation with the UN HRCAC and Asia Democracy Network (ADN). The Workshop will be held in Gwangju from 09:00 to 16:00 on 15 May prior to the Opening Session of the 5th World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) on 15-18 May 2015
  1. Approximately 20 international human rights experts including two members of the drafting committee of the HRCAC’s report on LGHR, a staff member of OHCHR in charge of the UN HRCAC and some members of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights will be invited to attend the Workshop. In addition, approximately 10 domestic human rights experts from Korea will contribute to the meeting. The meeting will be an open session, with local observers to be invited.
  1. The working language will be English and simultaneous interpretation for English-Korean will be provided.
  1. The first UN HRC’s resolution on local government and human rights (A/HRC/RES/24/2) was submitted by the Government of the Republic of Korea and adopted at the 24th session of the Human Rights Council on 26 Sept. 2013. It requests the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee (HRCAC) to prepare a research-based report on the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights, including human rights mainstreaming in local administration and public services, with a view to compiling best practices and main challenges.
  1. The HRCAC formed a drafting group at its 12th session in February 2014 and the progress report was presented to the Human Rights Council for consideration at the 27th session in September 2014.

Tentative Program

15 May 2015

(revised on 12 April 2015)

Time / Agenda
08:30-09:00 / Registration
09:00-09:30 / Opening Session
Welcome remarks
Mr. Lee, Kyung-ryul, Director, Human Rights Office, Metropolitan City of Gwangju, Korea
Dr KatharinaPabel, UN HRC Advisory Committee Member
Background and introduction of participants
Anselmo Lee, Executive Director, Korea Human Rights Foundation
09:30-11:00 / Session 1 : Key Challenges and Recommendations - Africa, MENA, Europe, North America and Latin America
Guiding questions
What is your assessment of the first report of the UN HRCAC from your own country or region’s perspectives?
What are key challenges you have identified from your own experiences?
What are your recommendations to UN HRC, local government, central government, civil society and other stake-holders for the final report of the UN HRC Advisory Committee?
Moderator
Anselmo Lee, Executive Director, Korea Human Rights Foundation
Presenters (Max. 10 minutes)
Egypt and MENA
Joseph Schechla, Coordinator, Habitat International Coalition's Housing and Land Rights Network (HIC-HLRN), Egypt
Mexico and Latin America
Lorena Zarate, President, Habitat International Coalition (HIC), Mexico
Brazil and Latin America
Nelson SAULE, Director, Polis Institute, Brazil
Austria and Germany
Dr KatharinaPabel, UN HRC Advisory Committee Member, Austria
USA and North America
Charlie Clements, Executive Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, USA
Local Democracy Assessment
Brechtje Kemp, The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Stockholm, Sweden
11:00-11:20 / Break
11:20-12:30 / Session 2 : Key Challenges and Recommendations - Asia
Moderator
Dr KatharinaPabel, UN HRC Advisory Committee Member
Presenters (Max. 10 minutes each)
Mongolia and LOGIN
Tur-Od Lkhagvajav, Local Governance Initiative and Network (LOGIN) Mongolia Facilitator, Mongolia
Nepal and South Asia
Sushil PYAKUREL,Chairperson, Alliance for Social Dialogue and People's SAARC, Nepal
India and South Asia
Kaustuv BANDYOPADHYAY, Director, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), India
Henri Tiphagne, Chairperson, FORUM-ASIA
Indonesia and Southeast Asia
Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia Representative to the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Indonesia
Indonesia
Mugiyanto, Senior Program Officer, International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), Indonesia
Philippines and Southeast Asia
Corrina Lopa, Regional Coordinator, Southeast Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), Philippines
12:30-14:00 / Lunch
14:00-15:00 / Session 3 : Key Challenges and Recommendations - South Korea
Moderator
Dr Changrok SOH, 서창록 UN HRC Advisory Committee Member
Presenters (Max. 6 minutes each)
Mr Kyung-ryul LEE, 이경률, Director, Human Rights Office, Gwangju Metropolitan City
Dr Woo-guen EUN 은우근, Gwangju University
Mr Hyungwan KIM, 김형완 Member of Metropolitan Seoul Human Rights Commission
Dr Baekgi CHO조백기 Human Rights Officer, Seoul Metropolitan Office for Education
Dr Hyunsoo KANG, 강현수 President, Chungnam Development Institute
Dr Buhm Suk BAEK, 백범석, Kyunghee University, Korea
Dr Tae-ung BAIK 백태웅, Hawaii University, USA
Dr Hyunsoo NOH, 노현수 National Open University
15:00-16:00 / Closing Session
Moderator
Anselmo Lee, Executive Director, Korea Human Rights Foundation
General Discussion
Closing remarks
Dr Changrok SOH, 서창록 UN HRC Advisory Committee Member
Dr KatharinaPabel, UN HRC Advisory Committee Member
Ns Dina Rossbacher, OHCHR, Human Rights Officer
16:00 - / Move to Opening Ceremony of the 5th WHRCF

Contact persons:

Mr. AnselmoLEE , Executive Director, KHRF, Korea

Ms. Soo Yon SUH , Coordinator, KHRF / ADN, Korea

Annex

  • Concept note and draft program of the 5th WHRCF (15-18 May 2015)
  • UN HRC resolution on local government and human rights (A/HRC/27/L.62) – 19 Sept. 2014
  • UN HRC Progress report of the UN HRC Advisory Committee on the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights, including human rights mainstreaming in local administration and public services (A/HRC/27/59) – 4 Sept. 2015

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