Located in the heart of Europe, Vienna has historically played an important role in migration movements and is therefore often referred to as melting pot of cultures. Due to the high diversity of its citizens, the City of Vienna established numerous measures to encourage an open dialogue and exchange with all population groups. Following a human rights-based approach (HRBA), a conceptual framework based on international human rights standard, the four guiding principles – Participation, Equality, Accountability and Transparency – were established and implemented in the city strategy.
As a cross-cutting subject human rights play a crucial role in city policies regarding education and training, children and women rights, health, occupation, mobility, infrastructure, housing, standard of living, participation in culture and public life, safety and security, opportunities for refugees and immigrants, anti-discrimination etc.
In order to not only raise awareness but stepping up commitment for human rights at a local level the “Vienna Human Rights Districts” were initiated in 2019. Today, 14 out of 23 districts have declared themselves a Human Rights District, each of them focusing on topics that are especially relevant for their local communities. Joint initiatives and projects aim at discussing district activities and challenges in order to build together a more inclusive society.
MUST-a-Lab offers a platform to share those previous experiences with participatory processes that enhance dialogue among different groups and mutual understanding between decision makers and local communities. The active involvement and engagement of migrant communities and local stakeholders in order to improve existing integration and inclusion strategies within the planned Policy Labs will not only open a safe space for co-creation and exchange but also enable developing and testing new approaches and solutions.
The City of Vienna is looking forward to an exchange of experiences and best practices across different sectoral areas and the establishment of Europe-wide networks, which promote future-oriented and innovative integration and inclusion strategies.
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Review: MUST-a-Lab Kick-Off Event “Education & Participation”
In cooperation with the Human Rights Districts Neubau, Favoriten and Meidling, the Human Rights Office of the City of Vienna invited numerous stakeholders to the