1994–2024: The international protection of human rights between rise, decline or stagnation

This article takes the 30th anniversary of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Potsdam as an opportunity to take stock of where the regional and universal systems of human rights protection stand today and where they could develop in the coming years. The article reflects on the historical development of human rights protection since the founding of the Human Rights Centre in 1994, from the changes in Europe after 1990 to contemporary global challenges. The article surveys how international human rights mechanisms have expanded since the Cold War, but also highlights stagnation in new treaty ratifications and emerging challenges such as climate change, new technologies like artificial intelligence, and evolving perspectives from States from the Global South.