Representatives from National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) across the Asia Pacific joined the third webinar in the APF-OHCHR Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Webinar Series on 13 October 2026 to explore the role of local governments in promoting and protecting human rights.

Delivered by the APF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the webinar examined how local authorities can help translate human rights commitments into meaningful outcomes for communities through service delivery, planning, participation and local governance.

Participants discussed how NHRIs can support rights-based local governance through monitoring, complaints handling, advocacy, capacity building and engagement with local authorities. The session also introduced practical approaches for embedding human rights into local decision-making and highlighted lessons from the growing Human Rights Cities movement.

The webinar generated strong engagement and discussion among participants, who shared experiences and reflected on opportunities to strengthen collaboration between NHRIs and local governments. Participants particularly valued the practical examples and the focus on how human rights can be integrated into everyday governance processes at the local level.

Participants identified a range of ways they could apply the learning from the session, including strengthening engagement with local governments and Human Rights Cities initiatives, informing advocacy and policy work, providing technical assistance and training to public authorities, and supporting monitoring and accountability efforts related to economic, social and cultural rights.

The session forms part of the ongoing APF-OHCHR partnership to strengthen NHRI capacity on economic, social and cultural rights and promote knowledge sharing across the Asia Pacific region. Interest remains strong in future discussions on the practical implementation and monitoring of ESCR, reflecting the continuing commitment of NHRIs to advancing human rights in their national contexts.

"Local governments are often the level of government closest to people. Integrating human rights into local governance can help ensure that international commitments translate into tangible improvements in people's daily lives."