Even though human rights (HR) cities can be found in all corners of the world, there is no universal definition of or procedure for becoming one. For instance, it can be a decision of local authorities either to start systematic work with HR at the local level, or to acknowledge the work that has already been done. But what about the other actors? Can they claim this status for the place they live in? Or how can they be involved in this process? The research presented in the current paper delves into these questions with the particular focus on Sweden and the HR cities in this country for the time of research, which are Lund and Piteå.
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Conclusion
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The question of inclusion is crucial when we talk about HR cities. Actors and stakeholders involved in the work with HR on the local level define the direction of city (and municipality) development. In case of Lund, besides politicians, civil servants, civil society and citizens, that are also present in Piteå, there are important academic institutions, such as RWI and Lund University. However, in both cities it does not seem that citizens are actively involved in the process and there is strong tendency to top-down decision making, even though in Piteå they participated in several dialogues and were given an opportunity to share their concerns, and its importance is highlighted in the respective academic literature. The results also show that citizens might not be aware of the status of HR city – this framework is mostly used inside the municipality, even though it aims at improving people’s lives in the whole municipality. Hence, there is a need for further research on how citizens perceive the status of a HR city, if it plays any role in their daily life, and how they solve HR-related issues.
Who works with human rights at the local level?
Case study of human rights cities in Sweden
Elizaveta Tuneva [M.Sc. Graduate, Bauhaus University]
Introduction
Even though human rights (HR) cities can be found in all corners of the world, there is no universal definition of or procedure for becoming one. For instance, it can be a decision of local authorities either to start systematic work with HR at the local level, or to acknowledge the work that has already been done. But what about the other actors? Can they claim this status for the place they live in? Or how can they be involved in this process? The research presented in the current paper delves into these questions with the particular focus on Sweden and the HR cities in this country for the time of research, which are Lund and Piteå.
.
.
.
Conclusion
(...)
The question of inclusion is crucial when we talk about HR cities. Actors and stakeholders involved in the work with HR on the local level define the direction of city (and municipality) development. In case of Lund, besides politicians, civil servants, civil society and citizens, that are also present in Piteå, there are important academic institutions, such as RWI and Lund University. However, in both cities it does not seem that citizens are actively involved in the process and there is strong tendency to top-down decision making, even though in Piteå they participated in several dialogues and were given an opportunity to share their concerns, and its importance is highlighted in the respective academic literature. The results also show that citizens might not be aware of the status of HR city – this framework is mostly used inside the municipality, even though it aims at improving people’s lives in the whole municipality. Hence, there is a need for further research on how citizens perceive the status of a HR city, if it plays any role in their daily life, and how they solve HR-related issues.