Lund’s municipal council voted last week to work systematically with human rights. The decision makes Lund the first “human rights city” in Sweden.
Lund municipality has collaborated with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to develop a systematical work procedure regarding human rights issues since 2016.
This means that the city is working internally with a human rights perspective when making decisions affecting its citizens. It can include decisions concerning, for example, education, city planning and eldercare. A human rights city should collaborate with companies, universities and other actors that are working actively to develop human rights.
We are now taking the next step to become a more open and welcoming city. We have during this term of office had a strong focus on the work with human rights in the municipality. It is with great pride that we can declare ourselves as Sweden’s first human rights city, says Elin Gustafsson, a municipal commissioner of Lund.
Together with RWI, Lund municipality has developed a structured and systematic work procedure. This human rights work will involve knowledge-raising as well as how the city can work with human rights issues in all operations.
I want to congratulate Lund for taking the step to become the first municipality in Sweden to announce themselves as a human rights city. RWI is looking forward to work with Lund to clarify what it means to the people who live and work in the municipality, to secure their rights, and to make Lund into an even better city, says Morten Kjaerum, director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.