United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) participated in the Bologna II Expert Roundtable, “Local and Regional Governments in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Data, Digital Tools and Multilevel Governance”, held on 23 April 2026 at the University of Bologna. Organised by the Geneva Human Rights Hub (GHRH) and the Department of Legal Studies, University of Bologna, and supported by the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Bologna II Expert Roundtable builds on discussions initiated in Bologna in 2024 on National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRFs) and data collection.
UCLG was represented by Adrià Duarte, Coordinator of the Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights (CSIPDHR), who moderated the session on multi-level governance and other key members and partners of the Committee like Hans Sakkers from the City of Utrecht, Marta Siciarek, Human Rights Cities Institute and Morten Kjærum from RWI.
The roundtable gathered policymakers, international organizations and local authorities to explore how to strengthen the integration of local and regional governments (LRGs) in the UPR process. Notable participants included national governments—Italy, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, and Portugal—as well as local and regional governments: Utrecht, the Campania Region, Scotland, Gwangju, Emilia-Romagna Region, Republika Srpska, and Catalonia.
Discussions highlighted the key role of LRGs in implementing human rights on the ground, while underlining the need to better reflect their contributions in international monitoring mechanisms.
Further exchanges emphasized the value of localized data, the potential of digital tools to strengthen coordination, and the importance of multi-level governance models in ensuring the sustained engagement of local governments throughout the UPR cycle. A central takeaway emerged: although LRGs already produce valuable data and play a key role in implementation, they remain insufficiently connected to national UPR processes. Enhancing their engagement is therefore less about creating new structures and more about making existing systems work effectively across all levels of governance.
UCLG’s participation reaffirms its commitment to advancing the localization of human rights and strengthening the role of local and regional governments in global governance processes.