Along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention, the Nuremberg Principles played a significant role in establishing a reinvented and fortified human rights architecture post Second World War. Principle V which protects the right to a fair trial was a pioneering influence on the development of specialised norms and procedures protecting the fundamental human rights of the accused in international criminal proceedings. These norms have evolved over time as seen in the Nikolic case where the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia connected the “accused’s right to a fair trial to the Tribunal’s role in promoting human rights and respect for the rule of law”. This evolution has accompanied the advancement of a more nuanced understanding of the objectives of international criminal justice as a process not merely “imposing punishment” but rather as an initiative supporting wider efforts fostering sustainable peace, promoting the right to truth and ensuring reparations for survivors.
In line with this vision, the Nuremberg Academy works on a spectrum of initiatives advancing human rights education.
Our past initiatives in relation to advancing human rights have also included inter alia hosting the Fifth International Meetings of the Defence in 2017 and organising conferences dedicated to exploring the prohibition, prosecution and prevention of Enforced Disappearances in 2021 and to advancing synergies between international criminal law (ICL) and the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in 2019. The Academy along with partners participated in the project "Ethica, on the Path to a Common Code of Ethics for International Criminal Judges" which developed a set of ethical principles aimed at fostering a shared understanding of ethical standards among judges serving in international criminal courts and tribunals.
Further, the Academy also regularly co-organises initiatives advancing human rights in cooperation with the Human Rights Office of the City of Nuremberg, the Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg (CHREN) and other national and international partners.
