HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 3 - Human Rights Statement
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 • kcaron@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edina Releases a Statement Urging United States to Expand
Local Government Involvement in Human Rights Efforts
Edina, Minn., July 7, 2014 – The Edina City Council recently issued a statement to Assistant Secretary of
State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski urging the U.S. government to expand local
government participation in human rights treaty negotiations and implementation.
In the statement, Edina Mayor James Hovland noted:
“The U.S. government's inclusion of three state and local officials in its delegation for the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) review recognized the important role that state and local
officials play in implementing the United States' human rights commitments. State and local participation
enriched the conversation during the U.S. consultation with civil society and during the interactive
dialogue with the Human Rights Committee, adding a breadth and depth of expertise to the discussions,
including issues of homelessness, domestic violence and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
discrimination. …’
“During the interactive dialogue, Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby made the laudable commitment
to disseminate the Human Rights Committee's Concluding Observation to state and local actors. This
commitment is in line with the Human Rights Committee's recommendations to ‘engage with
stakeholders ... to give greater effect to the Covenant’ and ‘strengthen and expand [federal, state and
local] mechanisms mandated to monitor the implementation of human rights ... [and] provide them with
adequate human and financial resources.’
“An important step toward complying with the U.S. government's commitments and obligations is to
widely disseminate treaty body recommendations, communicate how they relate to state and local policy,
and provide guidance on practices that can address areas of concern. …’
“We further urge the United States to include a diverse delegation of state and local agencies and officials
in all future treaty reviews, including the upcoming reviews of compliance with the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and the Convention Against Torture, as
well as the Universal Periodic Review process. This will both strengthen the reviews and help to ensure
that the resulting recommendations translate into positive domestic practice at the local level. …’
“By taking the steps outlined above, the United States will make important strides toward improving
human rights implementation across the country, at every level of government. The federal government
should further provide dedicated staff, education, training, and funding to help state, county and municipal
governments fully comprehend and engage with the United States' human rights obligations.”
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
This statement is being echoed across the United States by other cities and
their local agencies. Edina is one of many voices seeking the opportunity to
expand local government participation in human rights treaty negotiations and
implementation.
For more information regarding the recent statement, contact Edina City Management Fellow Annie Coyle at
952-826-0429 or acoyle@EdinaMN.gov.
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