Within the framework of the German Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection is hosting a virtual fireside chat on 8 December 2020 from 6 – 8 p.m. on “Women and Human Rights – Personal Stories”.

In a relaxed and personal setting, three women committed to human rights in high-profile positions – the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Dunja Mijatović, the German member of the Venice Commission and former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights Ms Angelika Nußberger and the human rights lawyer Ms Nani Jansen Reventlow – will share their personal stories and discuss the position of women in human rights law.

Over the course of the discussion, which will be opened by the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection Ms Margaretha Sudhof and moderated by the journalist and political correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Ms Helene Bubrowski, our panelists will reflect on gender-related obstacles and advantages that come along with their human rights commitment, highlight the contribution of women to the advancement of human rights, identify current challenges for women’s human rights and explore whether there is a typical female perspective on human rights.

Join us virtually and enjoy the discussion: Virtual fireside chat >

Dunja Mijatović was elected Commissioner for Human Rights on 25 January 2018 by the Parliamentary Assembly and took up her position on 1 April 2018. National of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has been working to promote and protect human rights for the past two decades, thus acquiring extensive knowledge in the field of international monitoring, in particular as regards freedom of expression. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner for Human Rights, she has served as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (2010–2017), Director of Broadcast of the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001–2010), Chair of the European Platform of Regulatory Agencies (2007–2010) and of the Council of Europe’s Group of Specialists on Freedom of Expression and Information in Times of Crisis (2005–2007).

Angelika Nußberger is professor at Cologne University teaching international law and comparative constitutional law. From 2011 until 2019 she was Judge at the European Court of Human Rights elected on behalf of Germany, for three years between 2017 and 2019 its Vice-President. She is the German member of
the Venice Commission and International Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nani Jansen Reventlow is the founding Director of the Digital Freedom Fund, which supports partners in Europe to advance digital rights through strategic litigation. She is a recognised international lawyer and expert in human rights litigation responsible for standard-setting freedom of expression cases across several national and international jurisdictions. Nani is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and Adjunct Professor at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Margaretha Sudhof is a former judge at Frankfurt am Main Administrative Court and has been State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection since July 2019. Before joining the Ministry, she was State Secretary at the Berlin Senate Department for Finance (2012–2019). She has previously held the positions of Permanent Deputy to the Director-General for Crisis Management and Civil Protection at the Federal Ministry of the Interior (2010–2012) and Deputy Director- General for Interior and Legal Policy at
the Federal Chancellery.

Helene Bubrowski is a political journalist at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Since 2018 she is correspondent in the Berlin office of the F.A.Z., focusing mainly on legal policy. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Cologne, the First and Second German State Examinations and a Maîtrise / LL.M. from the Université de Paris I (Panthéon- Sorbonne).