New center for human rights in Graz

As a human rights city, Graz has taken on a pioneering role in Europe – meanwhile other Austrian cities such as Vienna and Salzburg have positioned themselves as human rights cities. In addition to Buenos Aires, the Styrian capital is still the second city in the world that has also become the location for a UNESCO center for the promotion of human rights at local and regional level: A corresponding agreement was signed between Austria and UNESCO in summer 2020.

1.5 million euros for the promotion of human rights

Institutionally and in terms of content, the center is to build on the experience and practice of the European Training and Research Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC) in Graz, which has existed since 1999. The agreement stipulates that Austria will make funds of 1.5 million euros available for the implementation of its work program. The center is sponsored by the city of Graz together with the state of Styria, the federal government and UNESCO. The UNESCO Center for the Promotion of Human Rights at Local and Regional Level opens under the auspices of the UN organization.

Focus on human rights for more inclusion

In its work, it will benefit from the previous experience of the ETC Graz – its director Klaus Starl is also the director of the new UNESCO center. Starl emphasized in a statement on Monday that the United Nations had called on the world’s cities in particular to “dedicate themselves more to human rights in order to promote resilient and inclusive societies”. The experience of the human rights city of Graz should be made available to partner institutions and cities through the development of training programs or practical “toolkits” for applied urban human rights policy.

“For example, we enable politically persecuted people to teach with us as visiting professors,” added Gerd Oberleitner, holder of the Graz “UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Human Security”. There are 830 such chairs in 116 countries worldwide; at the University of Graz the chair was established in 2016 and has now been extended for a further four years.

Local aid in developing countries and crisis areas

The main focus of the new Graz UNESCO Center is in particular regional and local human rights education. Regional focal points include education for Roma children in Southeastern Europe (Plovdiv) or human rights training for cities in Africa in cooperation with the African Academy of Administration. “To be a human rights city is a special obligation, not ‘nice to have’, but a constant task for politics, administration and civil society. Realizing human rights is a constant move forward, ”summed up Mayor Siegfried Nagl (ÖVP).

The center fulfills the politically ever-present demand for on-site help, especially in crisis areas, and is thus also a preventive measure against the growing pressure of migration, continued Nagl. He also suggested that in future there should be at least one human rights city in every UN member state and that Graz would be happy to invite you to an international mayors’ conference in the next few years.

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