Speech

Ten-year anniversary of Vienna as a Human Rights City

Speaker
Sirpa Rautio
FRA Director Sirpa Rautio delivers the keynote speech joining the celebrations marking Vienna's 10 years of being a Human Rights City. The event takes place at the Vienna City Hall on Human Rights Day.

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Lieber Dr Ludwig, Deputy Mayor Wiederkehr, Liebe Shams,

The invitation to speak here today is particularly special, and I am grateful for it.

Since moving to Vienna nine months ago to take up the role of Director at the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, I have discovered a city and a people deeply committed to upholding human rights and making them a reality for every citizen.

From the landmark 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, which resulted in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, to the 2014 self-declaration as “a human rights city”, Vienna has continuously invested in its commitment to achieving equality, social inclusion and respect for human rights.

The Fundamental Rights Agency, or FRA, has often acted as a partner in this endeavour, for example at the 2021 Fundamental Rights Forum, held here in the Rathaus, where, together, we launched the Framework for Human Rights Cities in the EU.

This partnership has never been more important, as we witness - in real time – varying waves of objection, apathy and denial crash against our well-established, universally accepted human rights laws and standards.

The optimism of the 1993 Conference has been replaced by the realisation that we must defend our human rights system from external and internal threats. Just last week, I was in Kyiv, where, every day, civilians face the dire consequences of a blatant violation of our international human rights order. And while Europe is surrounded by violent conflicts featuring some of the most severe human rights violations most of us will ever witness, inside the EU borders, we also see threats to the democratic functioning of our societies and to the rule of law.

We see unprecedented attacks against the very values upon which the European Union was built – respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. For too many people in the EU, these values remain unfulfilled promises - as my Agency regularly reveals in its reports and surveys. This year alone, FRA has starkly exposed the predominantly negative experiences of Jews, Muslims, members of the LGBTIQ community and victims of gender-based violence.

For many, the continuous cycle of hardship we see could lead to despair and defeat. However, for me, my colleagues in FRA and for many of you, I am sure, it leads to an unshakeable conviction in the importance of our shared ambition of protecting human rights.

The current geopolitical situation has exposed weaknesses in the international legal system; however, it has not rendered human rights norms obsolete. It is essential to recall the legal accountability underpinning human rights norms and to underscore the principle of legality – in spite of those who disregard it.

With respect to the rule of law, it can only become a reality where there is a rule of law culture. It is the political, judicial, and administrative bodies at all levels of governance, alongside civil society organisations and citizens, that together give effect to the rule of law.

Sustaining and forging partnerships between different levels of governance, human rights bodies, civil society organisations and international organisations is a very important means through which to make human rights real. We saw this in action in this very room, earlier this year, when FRA brought together human rights actors from every background imaginable, such as the worlds of sport, business, arts, tech and finance, at the Fundamental Rights Forum. There, we saw how such partnerships can reflect the distinct and complementary roles of different actors to reflect their various mandates, perspectives and backgrounds.

Local and regional authorities play an important role in developing and nurturing such partnerships. Coalitions of cities, as well as the network of self-proclaimed human rights cities, are examples of successful partnerships that can generate the real impact of human rights. This is particularly the case where local and regional authorities engage actively with different levels of governance and international organisations, and today’s conference is a good example of how such partnerships can make a difference. Another example of this, and one which my Agency has previously looked is, is the critical role played by local and regional authorities in ensuring that displaced persons from Ukraine could benefit from temporary protection across the EU – Vienna is a prime example of this working in practice, with 30,000 Ukrainian refugees currently availing of sanctuary here.

The realisation of human rights in the lives of Viennese citizens would not be possible without strong and unwavering leadership. This can be seen in so many examples, not least of all in the establishment of your Human Rights Office, or in the naming of Vienna as the European Capital for Democracy 2024-2025. Allow me this opportunity to congratulate you on the most recent example; that is, the announcement last week that Vienna has won the EU’s Access City Award for 2025. The initiatives put in place by the city’s leaders have resulted in what the European Commission called a ‘standout example’ of how cities can successfully integrate accessibility into ‘every aspect of urban life’. Though awards and recognition are always to be welcomed, I believe the fact that disabled people in Vienna can access inclusive and barrier-free spaces and services is the most meaningful reward.

Simple actions taken by cities can also be shining examples of how to make human rights real. Think, for example, of rainbow-coloured pedestrian crossings in Vienna or of the pictograms on the traffic lights for pedestrians in the city. These are unambiguous signals that Vienna is an LGBTIQ-friendly city, as is also evidenced by the huge popularity of the Vienna Pride, which I was very pleased to participate in earlier this year.

Gender equality and the support to women victims of violence is another area where Vienna is leading by example. The findings of our recent joint survey with EIGE and Eurostat remind us that there is still much to do to ensure that women’s rights are truly and fully respected, all of which will need the involvement of cities. We all see the example being set by Vienna in respect of gender mainstreaming; the city’s strategy on this is recognised as a comprehensive and impactful strategy with which to foster gender equality.

Municipalities across the EU can draw inspiration from Vienna’s ten years of experience as a human rights city, and it is important to share the lessons you have learned, for we need new cities to join and enrichen the current group. We, as always, are happy to join you in this task, and to promote our framework for human rights cities, a piece of work which builds strongly on practices implemented in Vienna. We are also happy to support Vienna, and other cities, in its implementation of a project looking at how to use the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights locally. The Charter is an instrument that can help to develop a local human rights culture, and Vienna, with its other city partners, could play a leading role in using the Charter to raise awareness of the importance of promoting and protecting fundamental rights at the local level.

For the Fundamental Rights Agency, it is a privilege to be hosted by a Human Rights City and to watch as our partnership continues to deepen and bear fruit. You need not be assured of our continued support, as it goes without saying. I wish you all the very best for the rest of this evening, as you celebrate this proud and momentous milestone. 

See also