Germany

Specialized body - Human rights

Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid
(January 2018)

About

Nature
Permanent

Members

Number of members
All MembersBelow 45 years of age
Total195
Men124
Women71
See historical data for this field.
Political affiliation of members
Majority parties
11
See historical data for this field.
Opposition parties
8

Chairperson(s)

Chair 1
Renata Alt
Chairperson: Sex
Female
Date of birth
27 Aug 1965
Political affiliation
Majority
See historical data for this field.

Chairperson

Chairperson: Sex
Female
Age: Chairperson is below 45 years of age
Yes
Political affiliation
Opposition

Committee functions

Mainstream human rights into the work of (other) parliamentary committees and of Parliament as a whole
Yes
Scrutinise all Bills for their compatibility with human rights
No
Scrutinise the Executive’s policy for compatibility with human rights
Yes
Obtain information from the Executive about the justification for actions or inaction which affect human rights
Yes
Scrutinise State compliance with existing UN human rights treaties
Yes
Initiate inquiries of its own choosing
No
Scrutinise proposed human rights treaties, and other international treaties with implications for human rights, and report to Parliament thereon, prior to ratification
No
Ascertain and review the Executive’s reasons for not acceding to or ratifying existing international human rights treaties
Yes
Scrutinise the Executive’s response to judgments of national, regional and international courts with implications for human rights
Yes
Monitor the adequacy of the existing national system for the protection of human rights
Yes
Review the allocation and expenditure of funds in the State budget to support measures to promote and protect human rights
Yes

Committee involvement in international and national reporting mechanisms

Such as the UN Human Rights Council and its' Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee etc.
Consulted in the preparation of national report to the UN Human Rights Council
Yes
Included in the official delegation which orally presented the most recent national report to the Council
Yes
Discussed the conclusions and recommendations which the Council adopted as a result
Yes
Conducted hearings with the Executive about its plans to implement the conclusions and recommendations of the Human Rights Council
No

Committee powers

The Committee has the power to:
Introduce bills into Parliament
Yes
Initiate parliamentary debates on its reports or on subjects of its choosing
Yes
Carry out inquiries
No
Hold oral evidence hearings
Yes
Compel witnesses to attend
No
Make recommendations to the Executive
Yes
Conduct visits, including visits abroad
Yes
Access places of detention without notice
No

Committee working methods

The Committee:
Adopts an annual or longer-term work plan
No
Publishes reports on its work on the parliamentary website
No
Reports regularly to Parliament on its activities
No
Number of specialised staff to service committee
6

Cooperation and coordination

The Committee regularly cooperates and coordinates (e.g. through sharing of reports; meetings; joint follow-up action) with:
Other parliamentary committees
Often
Civil society organisations
Always
National Human Rights Institution(s) Often called “Commissions” and/or “Ombudspersons” in the area of human rights
Often
Academic institutions, including research institutes on human rights and the rule of law
Often
The media
Sometimes

Contact information for the Committee