Leganés

Why are local and regional governments essential for promoting, fulfilling, and respecting human rights?

"After all, where do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home. So close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: the neighborhood they live in, the school or college they attend, the factory, farm, or office where they work... their home, their family, their circles of care and affection, etc. In short... the city where one lives," , Eleanor Roosevelt, United Nations (27/03/1953). 

Historically, local governments have been responsible for solving the problems of citizens in their respective municipalities. The proximity of this type of administration allows it to understand realities beyond what statistics alone can show. In municipalities, the issues identified in various studies are given names and faces. This makes local governments agile and effective tools in fulfilling human rights. 

Why are human rights relevant values and a useful framework for guiding local action?

Since the beginning of democratic governments in Spain, the values that have shaped municipal action—including in Leganés—have been those enshrined in human rights. Problems of poverty and all its derivatives—food, housing, employment, etc.—have been addressed. 

The commitment to equality through affirmative action policies targeting older adults, youth, people with disabilities, women, etc., has been a hallmark of public policy in Leganés throughout its history. 

The Municipality of Leganés uses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework for its actions—goals that are more necessary than ever for the sustainability of the planet.