The World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) has been held in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, since 2011 as an annual event, with the aim of realizing the vision of a human rights city. The Forum has become a gathering place to share the spirit of justice and community, the same values under which the citizens of Gwangju resisted against the ruthless oppression of the military regime in May 1980. WHRCF has been expanding its network to involve human rights cities’ officials, human rights organizations, activists, and miscellaneous stakeholders in the area of human rights, both in Korea and abroad. WHRCF has grown to be a major human rights event and a distinctive platform leading international cooperation and exchanging experiences on challenges and achievements of human rights cities to protect and institutionalize citizens’ human rights in everyday life.
VISION AND STRATEGY EXPANDING HUMAN RIGHTS CITIES THROUGH SHARING AND SOLIDARITY
Cooperation
Establishing partnerships with the UN and other international organizations
Discussing the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Sharing and discussing international human rights issues
Expansion and Exchange
Implementing projects to expand the human rights cities' vision in Korea and abroad
Exchanging policies among human rights cities
Establishing human rights cities network
Policy Research and Education
Developing and conducting human rights education program
Establishing a database of human rights cities policies
Conducting joint research projects such as creating an inclusive city marker system
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS CITIES FORUM
Since the World Human Rights Cities Forum onset in 2011, the secretariat has put diverse efforts to consider the environmental impacts and to ensure the Forum grows together with local communities. As part of these efforts, the secretariat has prepared to consider typical ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) factors even as well as environment-oriented factors in organizing and operating the World Human Rights Cities Forum.
Environment
To follow the eco-friendliness checklist by sector
To minimize the production of promotional materials and souvenirs
To re-use and recycle resources
o prohibit disposable products and reduce waste
Society
To promote the engagement of local organizations
To work with local businesses and businesses working with the socially underprivileged
To revitalize local tourism and restaurant business
To promote the development of the local community
Governance
To hold regular steering committee meetings with domestic and overseas institutions
To share values for a sustainable forum organization
To engage general participants in the decision-making process
To evaluate programs and collect comments and inputs
Human Rights
To enhance information accessibility
To pursue a barrier-free event
To provide spaces and facilities for cultural diversity promotion
To avoid unnecessary VIP protocol
Environment
To follow the eco-friendliness checklist by sector
To minimize the production of promotional materials and souvenirs
To re-use and recycle resources
o prohibit disposable products and reduce waste
Society
To promote the engagement of local organizations
To work with local businesses and businesses working with the socially underprivileged
To revitalize local tourism and restaurant business
To promote the development of the local community
Governance
To hold regular steering committee meetings with domestic and overseas institutions
To share values for a sustainable forum organization
To engage general participants in the decision-making process
To evaluate programs and collect comments and inputs
Human Rights
To enhance information accessibility
To pursue a barrier-free event
To provide spaces and facilities for cultural diversity promotion
To avoid unnecessary VIP protocol
WHRCF SECRETARIAT
1-2F, 5, Jungang-ro 196beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea
