Functions and Responsibilities of the German Institute for Human Rights: Promoting Human Rights Education in the Public Sphere

The article examines the German Institute for Human Rights (GIHR) as a National Human Rights Institution that, despite lacking quasi-judicial powers, plays a significant role in promoting human rights in Germany. It reconstructs the Institute’s development from the 2000 parliamentary motion to the 2015 founding law, focusing on its legal status, structure, mandate, and additional monitoring functions. The article argues that the GIHR influences constitutional interpretation and public debate through research, policy advice, cooperation with courts and institutions, and human rights education, thereby acting as an instrument of the open constitutional state.