International Conference on Human Rights

Stockholm, 6-7 November 2008

Speech by Susan Bolam, on behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Check against delivery

“We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent and from that they derive rights inherent and inalienable among which are the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”

Thomas Jefferson: American Declaration of Independence

The Council of Europe was established fifty years; ago to promote democracy and human rights, without which citizens cannot play their full part in society. We acknowledge that rights also come with responsibilities.

Democracy means the right to free and fair elections with universal suffrage. All citizens should have the opportunity to be elected as a representative of the people and the right to exercise their vote to elect those representatives. If people do not exercise this right, then they are abdicating their responsibility to hold public representatives to account. Local representatives need to fully engage with their communities, otherwise faith in democracy will be undermined and people will no longer participate in elections, preferring instead to find their own solutions to their need, even if this disadvantages other citizens. In other words, you create a fractured society.

People need to be listened to and involved in all aspects of publicly provided services which involve them. The measures to promote human rights consists of both preventative measures as well as measures to secure those rights. This is a key part of participatory democracy at grass roots level, where citizens can play an active part in the society in which they live, either through citizens forums, housing groups, parents groups, health councils and crime prevention groups.

This is the challenge for local and regional authorities who have varying degrees of responsibility in these areas affecting their citizens. Local authorities are in the frontline in managing human rights, whether dealing with refugees, racial discrimination or sexual intolerance. It is important for authorities to have the independence and autonomy to make decisions

in response to the needs of their communities, within the law but free from undue control from the centre.

Every person has the right to the opportunity to work and to obtain employment free from prejudice and discrimination. They should have the right to a decent home without undue restrictions. All children have the right to be educated, to prepare them to become useful members of society. Good healthcare should be available to all. In a civilized society, social welfare places a significant role in recognizing the support required to disadvantaged groups such as disabled, ethnic minorities, sexually discriminated against persons, young children and older people. Local and regional authorities have direct responsibilities in these areas and in particular in enabling members of these groups to become full participatory and respected members of society.

In an increasingly fluid and volatile world, we will continue to embrace many different nationalities and religions within our communities. They have the right to be given the same opportunities as indigenous citizens and the tools to enable them to take up those rights.

Local and regional authorities need to develop plans that will allow all citizens to play their full part in society. The idea is not that citizens should be patronized or isolated or become “benefit dependent” but learn to accept their responsibility to contribute to the community. (example) Communities must learn to embrace human rights as part of being a civilized society and we must acknowledge that, along the way, there will be conflicts. (example)

However, local government has resource limitations which will impact on the work it does. It is important for authorities to produce plans and priorities that are fully communicated to their communities and open to public scrutiny (example). I support the principle of independent Ombudsmen, with effective powers, to whom citizens can appeal in the last resort.

Human rights is a two way process: recognition and embedding of these rights in our society and promoting and facilitating corresponding responsibility amongst citizens. Democracy and human rights are interdependent and the development of local democracy as the cornerstone of democracy itself, must be considered both as a tool and a core objective of all countries in their efforts to improve the implementation of human rights in our societies.

Unconditional compliance with fundamental rights is a sine qua non of good governance, including at local and regional level, to eradicate all forms of tolerance and discrimination and to build cohesive societies based on respect for human rights.

May I commend to you the Declaration made last month at the Seminar on Human Rights between SALAR and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities:

1. To make local and regional authorities aware of their responsibilities regarding human rights’ implementation and also aware of the possibilities which rights-based governance offers.

2. To actively involve civil society in human rights planning and implementation at all levels.

3. To encourage local and regional authorities to promote the respect for human rights through awareness-raising campaigns and through local and regional action plans.

4. To ensure that local and regional authorities guarantee equal access to public services for all without discrimination towards any individual, and the preservation of their social rights.

5. To make sure that local and regional authorities act in full compliance with fundamental rights, in particular in the area of data protection.

6. To promote and support the establishment and development of good methods of implementation, such as independent ombudsmen or human rights co-ordinators, at local and regional level.

7. To ensure that, in the implementation of the European Strategy on Innovation and Good Governance at local level, adopted by the Council of Europe, the inherent human rights dimension is effectively taken into account.

8. To create appropriate structures or procedures to facilitate effective monitoring and remedy of cases where fundamental rights are not fully respected in the delivery of local public services.

9. To foster respect for human rights through systematic training of local authorities elected representatives and staff, as well as of independent monitoring bodies, to make them aware of their responsibilities regarding compliance with human rights.