In its resolution 39/7, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report, in consultation with States and relevant intergovernmental organisations, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, special procedures of the Human Rights Council, the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council, the treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, civil society, including non-governmental organisations, and local governments, on effective methods to foster cooperation between local government and local stakeholders for the effective promotion and protection of human rights at their level through local government programmes, including raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to indicate the major challenges and best practices in this regard.

In line this, the following Note Verbale and letters were prepared and disseminated by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in December 2018.

Note Verbale and letters:

• Note Verbale including a request for States to share the request for inputs with Local Governments
  English | French | Spanish
• Letter to Civil Society, including Non-Governmental Organisations English | French | Spanish
• Letter to National Human Rights Institutions English | French | Spanish
• Letter to Intergovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies, funds and programmes
• Letter to Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
• Letter to Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council
• Letter to Human Rights Treaty Bodies

In the resulting report, the High Commissioner builds on the report of the Advisory Committee on the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights (A/HRC/30/49), which framed the issue of local government in human rights terms, and also on the intersessional panel discussion on the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights, held on 4 September 2017 (see A/HRC/38/22).