AUSWAHL VON EINRICHTUNGEN ZUR RELIGIONSFREIHEIT IN DEUTSCHLAND
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SELECTED BODIES DEALING WITH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN GERMANY
Governmental Institutions, National NGOs, Universitarian Faculties and Institutes,
Churches and Religious Associations located in Germany,
International NGO’s and International Organizations
1. Governmental Institutions
| Address | Founders | Framework | Funding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auswärtiges Amt – Federal Foreign Office | Address: D - 11013 Berlin Phone: E-mail: | --- | responsibilities: tasks: | Tax |
Bundes- Federal Ministry of the Interior | Address: Fax: E-mail: bmi Internet: Bundes-innenministerium | --- | responsibilities directorate V:
department V 6: | Tax |
| Bundesamt für Verfassungs- schutz - Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution | Address: Fax: | area of account-ability: Federal Ministry of the Interior [see: Bundes-minis-terium des Innern] | Tasks: Annual Report see: Link
In Germany the protection of the constitution is organized on the federal basis. Every Land has an office for the protection of the constitution (LfV). The intelligence gathered by the Laender is stored centrally by the BfV. The BfV does not control the offices for the protection of the constitution of the Laender but cooperates closely with them
Länder see: Link | Tax |
Bundes-verwal-tungsamt – Federal Office of Admini-stration | Address: +49-22899-358-0 E-Mail:BVA Internet: | Article 87 sec. 3 Grund-gesetz on 14. January 1960 by law of 28 December 1959 area of account-ability: | Located in Cologne. Supporting the federal government in affairs of sects, documentation and informationen, reports and evaluations, coordinating office of a contact group of federal government and the Ländern on sects. | Tax |
2. National NGOs
| Address | Founders | Framework | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Deutsches Institut für Menschen-rechte – german institute for human rights
| director:
| Founders: Founding acts:
| tasks:
| Budget: approx. 1,53 Mio €
|
Forum Menschen-rechte
| Contact: Internet:
| established in 1994 following the International Human Rights Conference in Vienna
| Objectives:
| Through contributions from its affiliated organizations
|
3. Faculties and Institutes
URLs | Founders | Framework | Funding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Faculties for church law at german universities
| ---
| |||
At Catholic – Theological Faculties
|
| ---
| ||
At evangelical – theological Faculties
|
| ---
| ||
Menschen-rechts-zentrum Potsdam – center for human rights
| Directors:
| institute established in 1994, being one of the interdisciplinary centres of the University of Potsdam
| focus on the conduct and publication of research, setting up of a library and a documentation system, and informing about human rights.
| Universitarian and third-party funds.
|
Institut für Europäisches Verfassungs-recht – Institute for European Consti-tutional Law
| Director: Fax:
| Institute of the Legal Department, University of Trier,
| The Institute for European Constitutional Law is part of the Faculty of Law of the University of Trier. Its research concentrates on the comparative description and evaluation of European and International constitutional law. Working materials on state-church relations. Glossary on state-church relations.
| Universitarian and third-party funds.
|
4. Churches and Religious Associations (choice)
| Address | Founders | Framework | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Katho-lische Kirche in Deutsch-land
| President German Conference of Bishops: Internet:
| First german conference of bishops at Würzburg in 1848. Institu-tionalization of the conference at Fulda in 1867. Acknow-ledgement in 1965. Foundation and new statute of the German Conference of Bishops in 1966 in accordance with the require-ments of the directives of the Second Vatican Council
| Members of the catholic church: 25.461.000 (2007, source: http://dbk.de)
Archdioceses and Ecclesiastical Provinces: 1. Bamberg 2. Berlin 3. Freiburg 4. Hamburg 5. Köln / Cologne 6. Munich and Freising 7. Paderborn
Dioceses: 8. Aachen / Aix-de-la-Chappelle 9. Augsburg 10. Dresden 11. Eichstätt 12. Erfurt 13. Essen 14. Fulda 15. Görlitz 16. Hildesheim 17. Limburg 18. Magdeburg 19. Mainz 20. Münster 21. Osnabrück 22. Passau 23. Regensburg 24. Diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart http://www.drs.de 25. Speyer 26. Trier 27. Würzburg 28. for the Military Services Militärseelsorge
All are associated in the Verband der Diözesen Deutschlands - Union of Dioceses in Germany (non-state public body). Tasks of the Conference of Bishops of all Dioceses in Germany: Mutual advising, coordination, decision-taking, contact to the Holy See. Bodies: 1. plenum
| Körperschaft des Öffentlichen Rechts (non-state public body), church tax by its members
|
Evange-lische Kirche in Deutsch-land (EKD) - Evan-gelical Church in Germany
| President of the Evangelical Church in Germany
| Community of 24 autonomous lutheran, reformist and united churches located in Hanover, founded 1945
| Members: 25.100.727 (2006, source: http://www.ekd.de) Member Churches: 1. Evangelical Church of Anhalt 2. Evangelical Church of Baden 3. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria 4. Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg 5. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick 6. Evangelical Church of Bremen 7. Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover 8. Evangelical Church of Hesse und Nassau 9. Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck 10. Church of Lippe 11. Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg 12. North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church 13. Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Oldenburg 14. Evangelical Church of the Palatinate 15. Pomeranian Evangelical Church 16. Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany 17. Evangelical Church of the Rhineland 18. Evangelical Church of the Province of Saxony 19. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony 20. Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe 21. Evangelical Church of Silesian Oberlausitz 22. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia 23. Evangelical Church of Westphalia 24. Evangelical Church of Württemberg Link governing bodies of the EKD: 1. Synod Tasks: as laid down in the Constitution of the EKD. The EKD Synod usually convenes once a year for a session lasting several days, held in a different place each year. It is elected for a period of six years and headed by a seven-person governing board, the Presidium. The Council governs the EKD as regards all issues not expressly reserved for other organs. The EKD supports the work of the Conference of European Churches of which it is a member along with other Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches from all over Europe. CEC for its part co-operates with the Council of Catholic Bishops Conferences in Europe. The day-to-day business of the Council, the Synod and the Church Conference is conducted by the EKD Church Office.
| non-state public body, church tax by its members
|
Kon-födera-tion evange-lischer Kirchen in Nieder-sachsen – con-federa-tion of evange-lical churches in lower-saxony [see: EKD]
| President:
| Unity of five evangelical churches on the territory of lower Saxony within the EKD
| --- | Allocations paid by the member churches
|
Union Evange-lischer Kirchen (UEK) – Union of Pro-testant Churches within the EKD [see: EKD]
| President: D-30419 Hannover Phone: Fax: +49 511-2796-717 | Unification of the churches of the conference of Arnoldshain and the Evangelische Kirche der Union (EKU) on 01/07/2003.
| Members: 4.373.616 (2002, official website)
Member Churches: 1. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick
| Allocations paid by the member churches
|
Ver-einigte Evange-lisch-Luthe-rische Kirche Deutsch-lands (VELKD) -United Evange-lical Lutheran Church of Germany. [see: EKD]
| Leitender Bischof: Herrenhäuser Str. 12, D-30419 Hannover Phone:
| The Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands (VELKD) [United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany] was founded on July 8, 1948 in Eisenach. VELKD is a unification of evangelical lutheran churches into one church.
| Members total: 11.000.000 (official website)
Member Churches: 1. the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
The VELKD and the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation (GNC/LWF) - to which latter organization belong, in addition to the eight member churches of the VELKD, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg, the Evangelical Church of Pomerania, the Church of Lippe (Lutheran Section) as well as the Evangelical Church in Württemberg - coordinate and maintain relationships to Lutheran sister churches around the world.
| The budget of the VELKD consists by and large of the allocations paid by the member churches.
|
Zentralrat der Juden in Deutsch-land e.V. - Central Council of Jews in Germany
| President: Mrs. Charlotte Knobloch Address:
| 1950 founded by represen-tatives by the jewish community of the four zones of occupation
| umbrella organization of the german jewish community: 1. Israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft Baden, Members in total: 104.000 (19/02/2009) | non-state public body, tax by its members
|
Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutsch-land e.V. - Consis-tory of Muslims in Germany
| Chair:
| 26 March 1995
| umbrella organization of the muslim organisations in germany: 1. Bundesverband für Islamische Tätigkeiten e.V. Statute:
| membership fees, private donations.
|
5. International NGOs
| Address | Founders | Framework | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
amnesty international - secretariate german section
| Address:
| 28/05/1961 in London by the english lawyer Peter Benenson
| officially registered private association.
Bodies: 600 local groups associated in 48 regional districts.
tasks: observing of human rights standards and publishing of national yearly reports.
| private donations only
|
International Academy for Freedom of Religion and Belief
| Executive Committee:
| --- | --- | --- |
International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF)
| General Secretary: Internet:
| NGO in General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
| --- | charity based
|
The International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA)
| Secretary General: USA Internet:
| Chartered in 1893. The IRLA does not identify with any political party anywhere, nor does it endorse candidates for political office. Originally organized by leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but its purpose is universal and non-sectarian.
| To disseminate the principles of religious liberty throughout the world; defend and safeguard the civil right of all people to worship or not to worship, to adopt a religion or belief of their choice, to manifest their religious convictions in observance, promulgation, and teaching, subject only to the respect for the equivalent rights of others; support the right of religious organizations to operate freely in every country by their establishing and owning charitable or educational institutions; and organize local, regional, and national chapters as well as seminars, and congresses.
| Tax-exempt educational organization, no paid staff
|
6. International Organizations
| Address | Founders | Framework | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Council of Europe - Commissioner for Human Rights
| Mr. Thomas Hammarberg Address:
| established in 1999 as an independent institution within the Council of Europe (founded itself 05/05/1949 in London).
| promotion of the education in and awareness of human rights, the encouragement for the establishment of national human rights structures where they do not exist and facilitate their activities where they do exist, the identification of short-comings in the law and practice with regards to human rights and, lastly, the promotion of their effective respect and full enjoyment in all the member States of the Council of Europe. Main legal document is the European Convention on Human Rights (in force since 03/09/1953).
| Contributions by CoE, resp. the contributing member states
|
OSCE - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
| Address:
| OSCE is a regional IGO according to the Charta of the United Nations. founded as CSCE by Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and the Vienna Concluding Document of 1989, new name since 01/01/1995. ODIHR was founded 1990
| The Human Rights Section within the ODIHR promotes the protection of human rights through technical assistance projects and training on human dimension issues. It conducts research and prepares reports on different human rights topics. In addition, the Office organizes several meetings every year to review the implementation of OSCE human dimension commitments by participating States.
| Contributions by OSCE, resp. the contributing member states
|
United Nations - High Commissioner for Human Rights
| Ms. Navanethem Pillay
| founded in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly. Articles 1, 13 and 55 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993
| Principal UN official with responsibility for human rights and is accountable to the Secretary- General Promotes universal enjoyment of all human rights by giving practical effect to the will and resolve of the world community as expressed by the United Nations; Plays the leading role on human rights issues and emphasizes the importance of human rights at the international and national levels; Promotes international cooperation for human rights; Stimulates and coordinates action for human rights throughout the United Nations system; Promotes universal ratification and implementation of international standards; Assists in the development of new norms; Supports human rights organs and treaty monitoring bodies; Responds to serious violations of human rights; Undertakes preventive human rights action; Promotes the establishment of national human rights infrastructures; Undertakes human rights field activities; Provides education, information advisory services and technical assistance in the field of human rights.
| Contributions by UN, resp. the contributing member states
|
United Nations - Commission on Human Rights
| Internet:
| Founded by the United Nations Economic and Social Committee in 1946, composed of 53 States
| The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, composed of 53 States, meets each year in regular session in March/April for six weeks in Geneva. Over 3,000 delegates from member and observer States and from non-governmental organizations participate. Commission on Human Rights procedures and mechanisms are mandated to examine, monitor and publicly report either on human rights situations in specific countries or territories (known as country mechanisms or mandates) or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide (known as thematic mechanisms or mandates). These procedures and mechanisms are collectively referred to as the Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights. | Contributions by UN, resp. the contributing member states
|
Accountability for contents: Michael Rahe
Update RobertSchiller: 19.02.2009