Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed this week is traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, where he will relay his state’s struggle with civil rights as part of a U.S. delegation for a meeting on human rights.

The group will present a report on America’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Reed is the only mayor in the delegation, which is mostly made up of federal officials.

“They asked me if I would be open to sharing perspective on human rights as a mayor in the United States on behalf of the Department of State in Geneva,” Reed said. “It’s a great honor and great opportunity. I’m looking forward to sharing the progress that’s been made and the steps yet to come.”

The delegation includes officials from the United Nations, the Biden administration, the National Security Council, and the departments of State, Justice, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Health and Human Services, and Defense, as well as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. The conference is Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reed said he plans to speak about progress achieved through the civil rights movement in Alabama and what he considers ongoing challenges. Reed, Montgomery’s first Black mayor who was elected to a second term in August, said he expects delegates from other nations will be familiar with Alabama’s history in the civil rights movement.

“I think the story of Mrs. Rosa Parks and certainly Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not only spans generations, but it spans continents,” Reed said.

“The main takeaway is that certainly here in Montgomery and across the state of Alabama, we’ve been at the forefront of bringing about change from the bottom up. And we have a responsibility to protect that progress,” Reed said. “Congressman (John) Lewis said before he passed away that we had to protect democracy and that it is precious. And I think those are things that I want to share to our international partners that they must do as well.”

In a press release, the State Department said the report and the delegation of federal, state, and local officials shows the commitment the United States has to human rights and its obligations under the International Covenant.

Reed said Friday he is considering a run for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district. He said he would decide before qualifying ends on Nov. 10..