In memory of the former scientific director and co-founder of the FAU Research Centre for Human Rights (FAU CHREN), the first Michael Krennerich Memorial Lecture took place on 6 February 2026. The lecture was given by Professor Christina Binder from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. The title of the lecture was: ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’. Go directly to the lecture recording
A lecture on human rights under pressure – and possible courses of action
For the first time the memorial lecture in memory of Prof. Dr Michael Krennerich took place at FAU CHREN. With Prof. Dr Christina Binder, we were able to secure the services of a renowned human rights expert and co-editor of the Journal of Human Rights (zfmr), who had close ties to Michael Krennerich. In her lecture ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’, Professor Binder analysed the current disruptive developments from a human rights perspective against the backdrop of growing threats to human rights – through populism, social inequality, the climate crisis and an erosion of the international legal order. Building on an empirical assessment, she uses the example of the European Urban Charter III (2023) to illustrate the options for action available at the local and regional level in particular to counteract these trends. A more detailed abstract is available here.
About the speaker Prof. Dr Christina Binder
Christina Binder has been W-3 Professor of International Law and International Human Rights Protection at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich since April 2017. Previously, she was a university professor of international law at the University of Vienna and deputy director of the interdisciplinary research centre “Human Rights”. Christina was a member of the board and vice-president of the European Society of International Law, she is a member of the council of the Global Campus for Human Rights and Democratization and on the board of the Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights. Christina is a member of the “Committee on Urbanisation and International Law – Potential & Pitfalls”, the “Committee on International Law for the SDGs”, and was co-rapporteur of the “Committee on Human Rights in Times of Emergency” of the International Law Association (ILA). She is General Editor for the Inter-American Human Rights System of the Oxford Reports of International Law (ORIL), co-editor of the Journal of Human Rights (Zeitschrift für Menschenrechte; zfmr), the European Yearbook of International Economic Law and the Hungarian Yearbook of International and European Law. As a member of the Group of Independent Experts and Electoral Expert for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, she accompanied the revision of the European Urban Charter III (2023) as an expert.
About Prof. Dr. Michael Krennerich
Michael Krennerich was Professor of Political Science at the Institute for Political Science and has served as Academic Director of CHREN since June 2023. He co-founded CHREN in 2014 and played a key role in expanding and strengthening its team.
Prof. Krennerich studied political science, public law and philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, where he earned his doctorate with a study on elections and anti-regime wars in Central America. In 2006, he moved to FAU, where he helped establish the Chair of Human Rights and Human Rights Policy in 2009 and habilitated in 2012 with a fundamental work on social human rights. From 2014 to 2020, he was also co-director of the international Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU.
Despite his illness, Michael Krennerich remained extremely productive in his academic work and active in research and teaching until the very end. In 2024, the English-language version of his book on human rights politics was published (Human Rights Politics: An Introduction, Springer 2024). As editor-in-chief of the Journal of Human Rights, he also vigorously promoted the publication of the journal’s issue on “Human Rights and Art”.
Michael Krennerich was not only an outstanding human rights researcher and teacher, but also politically and socially committed to human rights. He was chairman of the Nuremberg Human Rights Centre, a member of the coordinating committee of the nationwide network of German Human Rights Organisations “Forum Menschenrechte” and a member of the board of trustees of the German Institute for Human Rights. As an advisor to the Foreign Office, numerous authorities and institutions, and an expert at Bundestag hearings, he put his scientific expertise into practice and gained much recognition. He was awarded the 2017 Nuremberg Citizen’s Medal for his commitment.
Prof. Dr. Michael Krennerich passed away in December 2024.
Lecture recording: ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’
Please note: By clicking on the link, you will leave our website and access content from YouTube (Google Ireland Limited). YouTube may store cookies and analyse your usage behaviour. For more information, please refer to Google’s privacy policy. Alternatively, the video can also be accessed directly at fau.tv.
A short interview with Prof. Dr. Binder will soon be available on our social media channels LinkedIn, Instagram und Bluesky.
Foto: FAU CHREN/Florian Murphy. Video recording: FAU Multimediazentrum. https://www.fau.tv/
In memory of the former scientific director and co-founder of the FAU Research Centre for Human Rights (FAU CHREN), the first Michael Krennerich Memorial Lecture took place on 6 February 2026. The lecture was given by Professor Christina Binder from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. The title of the lecture was: ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’.
Go directly to the lecture recording
A lecture on human rights under pressure – and possible courses of action
For the first time the memorial lecture in memory of Prof. Dr Michael Krennerich took place at FAU CHREN. With Prof. Dr Christina Binder, we were able to secure the services of a renowned human rights expert and co-editor of the Journal of Human Rights (zfmr), who had close ties to Michael Krennerich. In her lecture ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’, Professor Binder analysed the current disruptive developments from a human rights perspective against the backdrop of growing threats to human rights – through populism, social inequality, the climate crisis and an erosion of the international legal order. Building on an empirical assessment, she uses the example of the European Urban Charter III (2023) to illustrate the options for action available at the local and regional level in particular to counteract these trends. A more detailed abstract is available here.
About the speaker Prof. Dr Christina Binder
Christina Binder has been W-3 Professor of International Law and International Human Rights Protection at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich since April 2017. Previously, she was a university professor of international law at the University of Vienna and deputy director of the interdisciplinary research centre “Human Rights”. Christina was a member of the board and vice-president of the European Society of International Law, she is a member of the council of the Global Campus for Human Rights and Democratization and on the board of the Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights. Christina is a member of the “Committee on Urbanisation and International Law – Potential & Pitfalls”, the “Committee on International Law for the SDGs”, and was co-rapporteur of the “Committee on Human Rights in Times of Emergency” of the International Law Association (ILA). She is General Editor for the Inter-American Human Rights System of the Oxford Reports of International Law (ORIL), co-editor of the Journal of Human Rights (Zeitschrift für Menschenrechte; zfmr), the European Yearbook of International Economic Law and the Hungarian Yearbook of International and European Law. As a member of the Group of Independent Experts and Electoral Expert for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, she accompanied the revision of the European Urban Charter III (2023) as an expert.
About Prof. Dr. Michael Krennerich
Michael Krennerich was Professor of Political Science at the Institute for Political Science and has served as Academic Director of CHREN since June 2023. He co-founded CHREN in 2014 and played a key role in expanding and strengthening its team.
Prof. Krennerich studied political science, public law and philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, where he earned his doctorate with a study on elections and anti-regime wars in Central America. In 2006, he moved to FAU, where he helped establish the Chair of Human Rights and Human Rights Policy in 2009 and habilitated in 2012 with a fundamental work on social human rights. From 2014 to 2020, he was also co-director of the international Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU.
Despite his illness, Michael Krennerich remained extremely productive in his academic work and active in research and teaching until the very end. In 2024, the English-language version of his book on human rights politics was published (Human Rights Politics: An Introduction, Springer 2024). As editor-in-chief of the Journal of Human Rights, he also vigorously promoted the publication of the journal’s issue on “Human Rights and Art”.
Michael Krennerich was not only an outstanding human rights researcher and teacher, but also politically and socially committed to human rights. He was chairman of the Nuremberg Human Rights Centre, a member of the coordinating committee of the nationwide network of German Human Rights Organisations “Forum Menschenrechte” and a member of the board of trustees of the German Institute for Human Rights. As an advisor to the Foreign Office, numerous authorities and institutions, and an expert at Bundestag hearings, he put his scientific expertise into practice and gained much recognition. He was awarded the 2017 Nuremberg Citizen’s Medal for his commitment.
Prof. Dr. Michael Krennerich passed away in December 2024.
Lecture recording: ‘Human rights in times of disruption – a local perspective’
Please note: By clicking on the link, you will leave our website and access content from YouTube (Google Ireland Limited). YouTube may store cookies and analyse your usage behaviour. For more information, please refer to Google’s privacy policy. Alternatively, the video can also be accessed directly at fau.tv.
A short interview with Prof. Dr. Binder will soon be available on our social media channels LinkedIn, Instagram und Bluesky.
Foto: FAU CHREN/Florian Murphy.
Video recording: FAU Multimediazentrum. https://www.fau.tv/