30.10.2020

Honest commitment please!

FORUM HUMAN RIGHTS expects the German government to seriously implement the human rights recommendations of the UN

Two and a half years after the human rights review of Germany by the UN Human Rights Council, it is time for an interim review. For this purpose, members of the FORUM MENSCHENRECHTE (FMR) met with representatives of the German government on Friday.
"With many recommendations, we unfortunately see at best an unpleasant fulfilment of duty in some ministries in the context of a cumbersome procedure", said Jochen Motte, member of the FMR coordination circle. It's all about improving the human rights situation at home. The Federal Government should take this just as seriously as it expects other states to do. "In Geneva, the Federal Government repeatedly signaled its agreement to ratify the Additional Protocol to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but nothing has been happening at home for years. This is unbelievable," said Motte.

The balance is also ambivalent with regard to the numerous recommendations on racism, discrimination and right-wing extremism. The political developments in Germany make a serious discussion of the recommendations and committed action more urgent than ever. "To declare in Geneva that the practice of racial profiling is prohibited by law and does not occur in police practice is grossly negligent for Germany's human rights reputation," criticized Lisa Heemann, also a member of the FMR Coordination Committee. "This refusal attitude is absolutely incomprehensible and cannot be communicated to international human rights bodies.
Conversely, the Federal Government has accepted all recommendations to combat human trafficking. Although this is to be seen as a positive commitment, it conceals considerable deficits in practice, especially the lack of a victim rights approach in the fight against human trafficking.

The FMR has published a detailed interim report on its website. Background: In the 3rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Germany in May 2018 a total of 259 recommendations were made. 209 of these were accepted by the Federal Government. The remaining recommendations were only noted because further consultations at the state level were necessary, for example, because although the goal of the recommendation was recognized, the government did not want to commit itself to the recommended measures, or because no measures were intended.
All member states of the UN have to undergo a regular review by the members of the UN Human Rights Council. The basis for this is the reports of the UN human rights bodies on the respective country, statements from civil society and national human rights institutions as well as the report of the state concerned itself. The recommendations from this procedure are officially adopted by the Human Rights Council. They should serve to improve the human rights situation on the ground.

Contact
Dr. Lisa Heemann, 0177-3074237, heemann[at]dgvn.de,
Dr. Jochen Motte, 0173-2866077, jpic[at]vemission.org,
Dr. Silke Voß-Kyeck, 0178-1877978, silke.voss-kyeck[at]posteo.de