This year, discussions will focus on how fundamental rights can be effectively integrated into day-to-day local administration work and how can the EU support it.

FRA will present its recent report ‘Human Rights Cities in the EU: a framework for reinforcing rights locally’. The Framework consists of three elements: foundations, structures, and tools. These elements formalise a city’s commitment to fulfil human rights, provide for mechanisms and bodies that integrate this commitment into the city’s work, and offer methods and resources that help implement a human rights-based approach in daily activities.

The event will showcase the example of Lund, in Sweden, of what it means to be a Human Rights City and how this approach can concretely support local administrations establish a culture of rights locally.

The European Commission will highlight new EU opportunities, in particular from the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme, available for cities and regions, to support mutual learning and pilot innovative approaches in the areas of rights, values, and people’s participation.

The annual dialogue is an opportunity to discuss fundamental rights themes of relevance to local and regional authorities, and share knowledge on existing local and regional fundamental rights practices from across the EU.