"A strong local democracy is the best guarantee for the respect of human
rights"
Statement by Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, on the occasion of the
60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Strasbourg, 09.12.2008 – "Sixty years ago, the United Nations launched
an appeal affirming the universal and primordial value of human rights
for the very existence of humankind, and a vision of a democratic world
that gives practical expression to this value.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on 10 December 1948,
was a veritable call for action to embed human rights in all levels of
society and to translate this vision into an environment where they can
be realised and enjoyed. This requires specific and systematic work,
work of not only codifying human rights and freedoms in conventions and
treaties but also of implementing them in our daily life, work which
must begin at local and regional level, in our cities and our regions.
Because beyond legal texts, human rights are concrete, and their
implementation goes hand in hand with the growing responsibilities of
local and regional authorities, affecting in a very tangible way
every-day life of our citizens.

"Today, as we celebrate the Declaration’s 60th anniversary, it is our
firm conviction that a strong democracy in our communities is the best
guarantee for an environment where the rights of citizens can be
exercised and protected in the most practical way and their potential
realised to the fullest, an environment where human rights thrive. A
society based on human rights can only be built starting from the
grassroots and involving all actors, be they elected representatives,
government officials, civil society, the world of business as well as
ordinary citizens – and local and regional authorities at the vanguard
for the advancement of human rights."

PRESS RELEASE
Communication Unit of the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref:897a08
Tel: : +33 3 90 21 49 36
Fax : +33 3 88 41 27 51
congress.com@coe.int

The Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the
Chamber of Regions.
It brings together 318 full and 318 substitute members representing
more than 200 000 European territorial communities.

President of the Congress : Yavuz Mildon (Turkey, EPP/CD), President of
the Chamber of Regions: Ludmila Sfirloaga (Romania, SOC),

President of the Chamber of Local Authorities : Ian Micallef (Malta,
EPP/CD).
Political Groups : Socialist Group (SOC), Group of the European People’s
Party – Christian Democrats (EPP/CD),
Independent and Liberal Democrat Group (ILDG).