https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2026/06/global-alliance-human-rights-ca...
https://globalalliance.un.org/
https://globalalliance.un.org/assets/docs/gahr-concept-note.pdf
At a time when human rights are facing mounting challenges, from shrinking civic space and growing inequalities to the rapid transformation of societies through technology, the launch of the Global Alliance for Human Rights is a call to place human rights back at the centre of decision-making, leadership and everyday's action.
The Alliance brings together governments, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, academia and communities around a shared commitment: to imagine, dialogue and act together towards the 80th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Human rights are the foundation of peaceful, just and inclusive societies. At a time of profound global uncertainty, we must renew our commitment and broaden support, harnessing the energy we see across the world to ensure that human rights remain the guiding force of our collective future.
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UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk
From cities and youth movements to businesses and researchers, actors around the world are stepping forward with new ideas, partnerships and solutions.
Bringing human rights closer to people’s daily lives
At the heart of the Alliance is a simple ambition: to make human rights tangible in everyday life.
For Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments, the largest organisation of local and regional governments in the world, change starts at the local level.
“Human rights become meaningful when they are experienced in everyday life: when people can access the everyday essentials that sustain dignity and well-being, including housing, water and sanitation, mobility, healthcare, education, culture, participation and quality public services without discrimination,” she said. “Local and regional governments are uniquely positioned to make this happen because they are the level of government closest to people.”
Cities are already leading the way. More than 100 cities across regions have declared themselves Human Rights Cities, committing to rights-based governance and inclusive public services.
“We have learned that becoming a Human Rights City is not a one-time action, but a continuous process of transformation. What matters is starting the journey,” said Saiz. As one of the Global Alliance’s catalytic initiatives, the Human Rights Cities movement aims to reach 1,000 cities by 2028.
Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments, the largest organisation of local and regional governments in the world. © UCLG
Connect local voices to global action through innovation
Technology is another key pathway of the Alliance, offering both opportunities and risks for human rights.
“Digital tools can help make human rights violations more visible by creating safer and more accessible ways for people to report what they are experiencing or witnessing,” said Daniel Odongo, Director of Engineering and Product at Ushahidi, an open-source crowdsourcing platform that collects, maps, and visualizes user-generated reports to support crisis response, civic engagement, and community empowerment.
Drawing on experience in citizen-generated data and crisis mapping, he highlighted a critical gap.
“Communities often know first, where violence is happening, where services are failing, where climate impacts are being felt. But this knowledge is often fragmented and excluded from formal decision-making,” he said.
“The Alliance can help scale approaches that treat local voices as credible evidence. But the connection between local voice and global action has to be deliberately designed,” he added.
Daniel Odongo, Director of Engineering and Product at Ushahidi, an open-source crowdsourcing platform that collects, maps, and visualizes user-generated reports to support crisis response, civic engagement, and community empowerment. © Ushahidi
From knowledge to impact: the role of academia
The Alliance also recognizes the importance of research, education and evidence in advancing human rights.
“Connecting institution also represents a strong and united front to address human rights challenges,” said Shailendra Singh, Associate Professor at the University of the South Pacific. “But academia must go beyond analysis to impact, generating evidence, informing policy, and connecting research with real-world human rights challenges.”
He pointed to the Pacific region, where climate change poses a major human rights threat, as an example of how knowledge can drive change.
“In 2019, law students from the University of the South Pacific helped spearhead a campaign that contributed to a landmark case before the UN’s top court on States’ obligations to address climate change and protect human rights,” he noted.
“This shows how important it is to prepare a new generation of informed and committed human rights leaders.”
Shailendra Singh, Associate Professor at the University of the South Pacific. © University of the South Pacific
From commitment to action
The Global Alliance for Human Rights will be launched on 11 June 2026 in Geneva and take us to 10 December 2028. It will drive change through 4 pathways and set in motion catalytic initiatives.
The Global Alliance for Human Rights will officially launch on: 11 June 2026 - 13:30 CEST
The event will be live streamed at https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1y/k1y2m3fscz
