Local governments in the UPR: emerging good practices
At the 51st session of the UPR Working Group, an interesting practice emerged around States' engagement with local and regional governments (LRGs).
Nepal, Austria and Australia all documented involvement of LRGs in the preparation of the national report, with Austria going as far as including subnational representatives in its delegation to the Working Group.
This raises an important question: how widespread is this practice across the fourth UPR cycle?
Why LRGs matter in the UPR
In its Resolution on Local Government and Human Rights (57/12 of 2024), the Human Rights Council encouraged States to "promote the engagement of local governments in the work of regional and international human rights mechanisms and in implementing relevant recommendations, including in the preparation of State submissions for the universal periodic review and in follow-up thereto".
This matters because LRGs are closest to communities. They can understand local realities and needs, they can play a key role in implementing human rights policies and help translate international recommendations into tangible local action
What we're seeing in the 4th UPR cycle
The analysis of national reports in the 4th UPR cycle shows that nearly 30 States referenced some form of LRG engagement.
Most commonly States reported that the phase of preparation of the national report was carried out "in consultation with" or "on the basis of contributions from" different LRGs (ex. Finland; Austria; Nepal; Argentina; Germany; Colombia; Ethiopia; Bolivia; Kenya; Australia; Djibouti, specifying it organised "working meeting"). Some States provided more details: Morocco specified how LRGs were engaged in the consultation process in all the different phases of drafting and finalization of the report; Pakistan described the phases that have involved LRGs following the review of the third cycle up until the consultation from the preparation of the report.
Good practices
Several approaches stand out:
1. Integration in national mechanisms (NMIRFs)
In countries like Italy and Uruguay, LRGs are part of national mechanisms for implementation, reporting, and follow-up (NMIRFs). Even where not formally included, such as in Nigeria, structured consultations take place through regional meetings and outreach.
2. Consultations in national reports
The Netherlands national report includes a part dedicated to "Human rights at the local level", where the State reported the creation of a "Municipalities and Human Rights Platform" where municipalities can share promising practices and meetings can be arranged on themes concerning municipalities.
3. Workshops and consultation meetings
Lao People's Democratic Republic's and Bosnia organised workshops and consultations with several relevant domestic stakeholders, including LRGs, in preparation of the national report.
4. Contribution in national reporting
In addition to the information provided in the national report, prepared in consultation with 30 federal States authorities, Argentina included in a separate annex the specific inputs provided by local authorities.
Recommendations for LRGs
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Engage with NMIRFs, advocating for formal inclusion where possible
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Share data and examples of local implementation of UPR recommendations
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Participate actively in national consultations and workshops
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Advocate for your contributions to be formally reflected (e.g. annexes to national reports)
You can find the full analysis and the factsheet below.