Coordination at national level
Author | Matthias Mahlmann |
Pages | 89-89 |
89
9 COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL
There is no body that has centralised authority in this regard. The authorities concerned
with issues of discrimination include the Federal ministries, the Federal Anti-Discrimination
Agency, the Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration and the committees of
the German Parliament, to name just a few.
In 2017, the Federal Government adopted a national action plan against racism – Positions
and Measures to deal with Ideologies of Inequality and Related Discrimination ( Nationaler
Aktionsplan gegen Rassismus – Positionen und Massnahmen zum Umgang mit Ideologien
der Ungleichwertigkeit und den darauf bezogenen Diskriminierungen), which includes
homophobia and transphobia.449 Specific measures include: improved information; training
of administration and the judiciary; improved d ocumentation; prevention and prosecution
of h ate c rimes; expansion of c ooperation of police and civil society; political education,
including for the G erman armed forces; in creased diversity in the civil service; guidelines
for th e administration to help civil ser vants who are transgender express their id entity;
measures to deal with discriminatory ideologies on the internet; and dialogue with
researchers and expanded research. The national action plan was introduced as an
additional step towards strengthening social cohesion. It is an expansion of the first
national action plan against racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and related intolerance
(Nationaler Aktionsplan der Bundesrepublik Deutschland zur Bekämpfung von Rassismus,
Fremdenfeindlichkeit, Antisemitismus und darauf bezogene Intoleranz), which was
launched in 2008 to prevent violence and discrimination by emphasising that neither
society nor politics are willing to tolerate such ph enomena, to integrate minorities and to
promote ‘politics of recognition’ of diversity. However, the initial plan has been criticised
for mainly containing descriptions of already existing political and legal measures to combat
racism, xenophobia and antisemitism.450 The fact that both plans are non -binding when it
comes to homophobia and transphobia has been condemned by the LGBT community,
which has criticised the absence of a concrete LGBT national action plan to actually protect
their community.451
Due to the refugee crisis faced by Europe and Germany in particular, the Fede ral
Government adopted a national integration action plan in 2015 .452
449 See BT Drs. 18/7936. See the 2017 Action Plan:
www.bmfsfj.de/blob/116798/5fc38044a1dd8edec34de568ad59e2b9/nationaler-aktionsplan-rassismus-
data.pdf. In English, available at: www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/service/information-material-issued-
by-the-federal-government/national-action-plan-against-racism-1525904. LGBT organisations have made
the criticism that the plan contains no specific measures concerning the LGBT community and continues to
have no sufficiently tangible obligations.
450 Follmar-Otto/Cremer (2009), Der Nationale Aktionsplan der Bundesrepublik Deutschland gegen Rassismus.
Stellungnahme und Empfehlungen, Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte, Policy Paper Nr. 12, January
2009. Available at: https://www.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de/publikationen/show/policy-paper-no-12-
der-nationale-aktionsplan-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland-gegen-rassismus-stel/.
451 In December 2019, the Greens submitted a proposal to the Bundestag concerning a national action plan for
sexual and gender diversity (Vielfalt leben – Bundesweiten Aktionsplan für sexuelle Vielfalt auflegen). See:
https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/672608/5c590376abe67e654882a235a366d9f6/19-13-
67c_angef-SN_Petra-Follmar-Otto-data.pdf.
452 See www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/aktuelles/alle-meldungen/neustart-in-deutschland--integrationsplan-
vorgestellt/90032.
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