Three Focus Areas
1. Basic Research
The CHREN is dedicated to fundamental questions of the theory and practice of human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective. We recognize human dignity as the basis of all human rights, the universalism of human rights, as well as the principle of non-discrimination.
Another thematic focus lies on the (extra)territorial dimension of human rights. This includes the question under which conditions a state’s human rights obligation may apply outside of its territory. The (extra)territorial application of human rights is particularly relevant in the context of the human rights of migrants and refugees, which is another CHREN focus area. Based on their research, members of the CHREN, among other things, make suggestions for the local, national, EU-wide, and international development of human rights-based migration policies.
Further research encompasses topics such as gender equality, sexual orientation, and gender identity, the relationship between human rights and education, human rights and medicine, the impact and limits of international criminal law as a means of protecting human rights, as well as the human rights in the context of transitional justice.
2. Practice-Oriented Research at the Local Level
The CHREN also provides human rights-based advice at the local level. It cooperates with the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg as well as with state institutions and international organizations working in the region, such as the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the UNHCR , and the IOM. It takes academic human rights research to political decision-makers and NGOs and thus supports a research-based human rights practice on the ground. In this respect, CHREN also cooperates with the Nuremberg Human Rights Centre (NMRZ) and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy (IANP).
3. Innovative and Research-based Advancement of International Human Rights Protection
The members of CHREN investigate pertinent human rights questions of the future. These include, for example, the rights of refugees and migrants within international law, the right to freedom and belief, the rights of elderly people and of sexual and gender-based discrimination, the impact of human rights on transnational business law, issues of human rights and bioethics, as well as – in cooperation with the International Criminal Law Research Unit – the improved enforcement of human rights in armed conflicts.