Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg (CHREN)
The open sea is perhaps a poignant environment to discuss human rights issues and potential solutions. We introduce the second of our teams – CHREN – which will join the first leg of Science Sets Sail.
The Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg combines researchers from various faculties and disciplines at FAU. Its research concerns theoretical and practical topics related to the regional, national and international development of a culture of human rights. As you can imagine, this is a weighty topic that is not to be taken lightly. Law researchers and students are often considered to be a conservative bunch, so we are thrilled that four researchers from FAU and their international guests see the value in meeting up in the highly collaborative environment of the sailing ship Thor Heyerdahl.
Researchers at CHREN investigate fundamental questions and current issues in human rights. They organise workshops and conferences on regional and international human rights topics and disseminate the results of their research projects to a wide audience. They also advise institutions, public authorities and political organs at a local, regional, national, international and intergovernmental level, as well as civil society and business organisations. Furthermore, CHREN cooperates with other academic institutions in Germany and abroad, as well as with governmental, non-governmental and supranational organisations. It strengthens and expands its network continuously.
Human rights are a fundamental European heritage that we share. Fostering cooperation on human rights issues with new democracies from eastern European states and within the Council of Europe will strengthen this historic responsibility,” says Prof. Dr. Christoph Safferling, Chair for Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, International Criminal Law and Public International Law at FAU.
The European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights have built the most successful protection scheme of human rights worldwide. In recent years, however these acquisitions have come under scrutiny by political as well as technical developments. Nationalist political parties in Europe undermine liberty rights; social media, fake news and hate speech conflict with freedom of speech; refugees are excluded from participating in education and work; asylum rights are being cut.
Together with our guests from Scandinavian human rights institutes and from the new Baltic democratic states, CHREN wants to use this unique venue to explore both the new challenges for human rights and the common European historic responsibilities.
CHREN Science Sets Sail contact:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Safferling
Chair for Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure,
International Criminal Law and Public International Law
Phone 09131/85-22247