A/HRC/RES/57/12 environmental – and are aimed at realizing the human rights of all and at achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, Bearing in mind also that all human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and that their protection and promotion is the first responsibility of Governments, Recognizing the role of local government in the promotion and protection of human rights, without any prejudice to the primary responsibility of the national Government in this regard, Recognizing also that local government has different forms and functions in every State, in accordance with the constitutional and legal system of the State concerned, Recognizing further that, given its proximity to people, its knowledge of the local needs and priorities and being at the grass-roots level, one of the important functions of local government is to provide public services that address local needs and priorities related to the realization of human rights at the local level, and recognizing the benefits of enhanced dialogue and cooperation towards this end between States, local governments, civil society and other local stakeholders, including in promoting knowledge of human rights and serving as a catalyst for human rights progress at the local level, Acknowledging the role of local government in preventing and reducing inequalities and protecting persons in vulnerable and marginalized situations from discrimination by developing and implementing, in a manner that is consistent with the constitutional frameworks of States, local laws, policies and programmes, such as action plans, human rights impact assessments and mechanisms for monitoring human rights strategies that are based on States’ obligations under international human rights law, Bearing in mind that State authorities at all levels should be guided by the following non-exhaustive principles to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights at the local level: universality and inalienability; indivisibility; interdependence and interrelatedness; equality and non-discrimination; participation and inclusion; and accountability and the rule of law, Noting with concern that local governments may face a variety of challenges in fulfilling their role for the promotion and realization of human rights, owing to, among other things, a lack of resources and cooperation between national and local government, awareness and a framework for their work on human rights, Acknowledging that taking a whole-of-government approach and a whole-of-society approach is conducive to ensuring respect for and protection and fulfilment of human rights at all levels, and in this regard emphasizing the need for greater clarity in the distribution of responsibilities and strengthened institutional cooperation and coordination between national and local governments to implement international human rights obligations effectively at all levels of the State, Underlining that the promotion of a human rights culture within public services and public servants’ knowledge, training and awareness play a vital role in promoting respect for and the realization of human rights in society, and stressing the importance in this regard of human rights education and training for public servants at the local government level, Underlining also that enhanced efforts are needed to build the capacity of local government officials and local actors with respect to the promotion of human rights and their understanding of the work of regional and international human rights mechanisms, including on ways to incorporate human rights protection into all levels of governance through targeted programmes, which may include training, awareness-raising and the provision of guidance tools, Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 51/12,1 and welcoming the fact that, in the report, the Office highlighted the ongoing need 1 2 A/HRC/56/32.