The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development on Wednesday released a statement urging the German government to promote inclusivity, sustainability, and protection of human rights following a visit to the country.
Special Rapporteur Surya Deva visited Germany this month to assess the nation’s commitment to human rights, sustainable development goals, and local democratic participation.
He visited and attended meetings in Berlin, Cottbus, Düsseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen.
Deva commended Germany’s foreign aid and support efforts, its focus on solving climate-related problems, and its efforts to provide refuge to those fleeing danger and conflict.
However, Deva also addressed key areas of potential improvement and called for urgent attention to certain human rights shortcomings.
The expert claimed that Germany has failed to reconcile its role in the genocide of native peoples in Namibia or its lingering effects, saying:
The Government should take decisive steps to eliminate discrimination and racism… Moreover, it should own the German colonial legacy of genocide of Ovaherero and Nama peoples in Namibia, provide reparations to their descendants, and return all human remains and artifacts still displayed in Germany.
He was also alarmed over Germany’s shifting attitude toward migrants, stating:
Rather than seeing migrants and refugees as a liability, the Government, political parties, and society should see them as an asset to sustain Germany’s economy in the years to come…
The Government must ensure that migrants and refugees have a dignified life and enjoy all human rights in line with international law and the German Basic Law. It is inhumane for the Government to deny, for years, children a right to reunite with their families.
Deva further argued for more responsible business conduct in the country, claiming that business lobbying practices dilute the public interest.
He argued that, to reach sustainable development goals, the nation requires a resilient government to withstand lobbying and “promote respect for human rights and the environment as a precondition of doing business.”
The detailed report and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026.
