What does it take to turn human rights principles into something cities can actually measure, monitor and improve?

Next week, the Global Parliament of Mayors and the Human Rights Cities Network (HRCN) will bring this question to the 25th OIDP – International Observatory on Participatory Democracy Conference in Kraków, as we reflect on the journey and results of the EU-funded DeCiDE: Boosting Democratic Participation in Cities to Recharge Democracy in Europe project.

Over the past two years, DeCiDE has brought municipalities and civil society together around a very practical challenge: how can cities assess whether human rights are truly reflected in the everyday policies and public services experienced by their residents?

At OIDP 2026, we will bring this experience to the panel “Monitoring Rights, Building Trust: Co-Creating a Standardised Human Rights Monitoring System with EU Cities.”

Rather than simply presenting a project report, the session will create space to reflect on what implementation has actually looked like on the ground: what worked, what proved challenging, and what lessons can be shared with other cities.

A particular focus will be the Standardised Monitoring System (SMS) co-developed through DeCiDE. Participating cities, together with civil society partners, have established local Monitoring & Evaluation working groups, identified shared human rights priorities, co-created indicators and monitoring tools, and tested how evidence can support more accountable, inclusive and rights-based local policymaking.

The conversation will bring together Prof. Dr. Eric Corijn, Marshall Wanimo, Mateusz Płoskonka, Federica Faraoni and Adria Duarte Griñó, combining perspectives from urban research, local government, civil society and international city networks. Together, we will reflect on what DeCiDE has taught us and what comes next for participatory, rights-based governance in cities.

OIDP 2026 | Kraków, Poland

22 September 2026, 16:00

Panel 15, Room 4.B

Monitoring Rights, Building Trust: Co-Creating a Standardised Human Rights Monitoring System with EU Cities

We look forward to exchanging experiences, lessons and ideas with cities and partners from across Europe and beyond, and to continuing the conversation on how locally owned, participatory monitoring can help turn human rights commitments into everyday practice.

More info on the website: https://oidp2026.krakow.pl/en

Photo credits to OIDP 2026.