25.4.2024
Legal Implications of the Non-Application of International Human Rights Law by Cities: Paying for Your Mistakes?
by Lisa Grans
Cities, as local authorities, are expected to comply with the international human rights obligations of their nation state within the scope of their mandate and in accordance with national law. Cities may also voluntarily commit to implement selected international human rights norms beyond what national law or central government policies require. Conversely, cities may fail to implement international human rights law as mandated by national law and policies. The paper by Dr. Lisa Grans provides an overview of the framework on the human rights responsibility and accountability of cities for their actions under public international law. It also discusses proposed models for such accountability, varying from shared responsibility between the state and local authorities to financial compensation for victims of local human rights violations.
The study is published in the Institute for Human Rights Working paper series, which presents ongoing research work at the Institute. It is one of the outcomes of the research project Human Rights Cities: A framework for localizing human rights, carried out at the Institute for Human Rights in 2021–2022. The project was funded by the City of Turku Urban Research Programme.
Another recent publication on localization of human rights is the Finnish translation of a guide for local authorities wishing to improve their efforts to respect human rights (Ihmisoikeuskaupungit Euroopan Unionissa). The booklet Human Rights Cities in the European Union was originally published by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) in 2022. In March 2024, FRA released the guide in 14 additional EU languages on its website. The Finnish translation was prepared at the Institute for Human Rights within the Human Rights Cities research project.
Contact: Dr. Lisa Grans, Postdoctoral researcher (lisa.grans@abo.fi), Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University