About the toolkit

Fundamental rights issues are a shared responsibility across governmental levels and sectors. They are at the heart of almost every aspect of public sector work. However, if the tasks of each sector or level are disconnected from one another, there is a risk that some individuals, and/or some rights, end up being outside anyone’s responsibility.

Why this toolkit?
This toolkit was compiled to help reduce the gap between theory and practice in implementing fundamental rights through effective cooperation between public officials.

Who is this toolkit for?
This toolkit is for public officials working at all levels of government, from local to international. It aims to help integrate fundamental rights thinking into day-to-day work – in policy making, service delivery and administrative practices.

Why is it important?
By “joining up” officials can:

  • Improve the impact of project results
  • Avoid errors and duplication of efforts
  • Encourage innovation and coordination
  • Raise fundamental rights awareness at all levels
  • Enhance accountability and transparency

How to use it?

  • Assess yourself or your organisation’s ability to develop and implement coordinated policies and initiatives across all levels and sectors of government through topical checklists.
  • Browse through the tools and explore practical examples, lessons learned and tips from across Europe. The tools are clustered into five broad areas:
  1. Understanding fundamental rights
  2. Coordination and leadership
  3. Communicating fundamental rights
  4. Participation and civil society
  5. Planning, monitoring and evaluation
  • Access online resources by international, governmental and non-governmental bodies that can offer valuable information on fundamental rights.
  • Get involved by providing your feedback on this toolkit and sharing your own experience of joining-up fundamental rights implementation.

Who created the toolkit?
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) created this toolkit with the support of public officials and experts from across Europe. The toolkit draws on the practical experience of hundreds of local, regional and national public officials. FRA conducted focus group discussions and expert interviews in eight EU Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and The United Kingdom).

Contributors and participants included: public officials; independent experts; civil society representatives; and individual beneficiaries of projects. There was also an International Advisory Group to bring in ideas and views from EU institutions, international organisations, associations of municipalities, and national human rights bodies.

See the contributors area