Human Rights and Humanitarian Protection

The Research Cluster Human Rights and Humanitarian Protection brings together researchers from different disciplines to identify and analyze situations in which human beings are particularly vulnerable, be it because of natural disasters, wars or power imbalances. Particular research areas include:

Humanitarian Action: Humanitarian actions consists of two main pillars: protection and assistance. Our research focuses on the interpretation, implementation and compliance with international human rights standards in emergencies, protracted crises and situations of risk and pays attention to the actors involved in these processes.

Business and Human Rights: States are not the only actors that influence the enjoyment of Human Rights. Individuals increasingly depend on (global) businesses to enjoy their human rights and the power that (global) businesses wield over individuals does no longer go unnoticed. We analyze national as well as international initiatives that seek to protect individuals against corporate human rights abuses and aim to identify particular shortcomings of the (international) legal system as it stands.

Environment & Human Rights: The enjoyment of Human Rights is dependent on a healthy (natural) environment. Consequently, our research focuses on the relationship between Human Rights and the environment, on the protection of persons in the event of disasters and on the law and governance of climate change.

Protecting in and Against Armed Conflict: Committed to researching the international law of peace and armed conflict, the IFHV in general and Cluster I in particular conduct research both concerning the ius ad bellum, i.e. the international prohibition on waging aggressive wars, as well as the law applicable in times of armed conflict, i.e. international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Finally, a particular focus lies on transitional justice and the restoration of peace in the aftermath of conflicts.