Mandate, tasks and functions

The German Institute for Human Rights is Germany's independent national human rights institution (Section 1 of the Law regarding the Legal Status and Tasks of the German Institute for Human Rights (DIMRG)). It works to ensure that Germany respects, promotes and protects human rights at home and abroad. As a centre of expertise on domestic implementation of human rights, it advises policymakers and civil society, provides information on human rights, strengthens human rights education and contributes the human rights perspective to political and social debates.

The Institute also accompanies and monitors the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Council of Europe Conventions on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Germany. For this purpose, it has set up corresponding monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

The Institute conducts interdisciplinary and applied research on human rights issues and monitors the human rights situation in Germany. It advises policymakers at federal, state and local level, the judiciary, the legal profession, business and civil society organisations on the implementation of international human rights conventions. It reports to the German Bundestag and drafts statements for national and international courts and international human rights bodies. It supports educators in embedding human rights in education and training for human rights-sensitive professions, as well as in shaping human rights education in schools and extracurricular activities. The Institute sees itself as a forum for exchange between the state, civil society, academia, practitioners and national and international actors.

Inform and document

An important task of national human rights institutions is to provide information on the human rights situation in their own countries. The Law on the Legal Status and Mandate of the German Institute for Human Rights (DIMRG) therefore provides that the Institute shall report annually to the German Bundestag on the development of the human rights situation in Germany and submit an activity report.

In addition, the public library of the Institute provides research literature and journals on human rights. It has the largest collection of human rights education materials in Germany. With numerous web and social media offerings, the Institute provides information on human rights issues and documents the implementation of the most important human rights treaties and reports in Germany.

Politically independent

The Institute deals exclusively with the topic of human rights and is politically independent. As a national human rights institution, it works on the basis of the "Paris Principles" of the United Nations. Since 2015, the DIMRG has regulated the legal status, tasks and funding of the Institute. The Institute is organised as a non-profit association and is financed by the German Bundestag as well as - for individual projects - by third-party funds.