The Goethe-Institut’s whistleblowing system

Any violation of a law can cause harm – to people outside the organization, to a Goethe-Institut employee or to the Goethe-Institut as an organization. The Goethe-Institut’s whistleblowing system is a vital early warning system for identifying potential violations of the law and initiating appropriate countermeasures.

Whistleblowing

We encourage you to report any legal violations in connection with the work of the Goethe-Institut. An extensive whistleblowing system is available for this purpose. This system can be used to report information on:

• ​​​​​​​Corruption and money laundering
• Theft
• Conflicts of interest
• Harassment/discrimination
• Violations of human rights

Every indication of possible misconduct is taken seriously and investigated in an objective, transparent and unbiased process. A standardized processing procedure has been developed for this purpose. For further information, please refer to the "Rules of Procedure for the Whistleblowing System".
As far as possible, the Goethe-Institut will ensure that the whistleblower does not suffer any disadvantages, provided that the information is justified.

Reporting channels

The Goethe-Institut’s whistleblowing system offers the following reporting channels:

• The online whistleblowing portal can be used worldwide, around the clock and in multiple languages. It can be used to report anonymously. Link to the online whistleblowing portal: Goethe Institut e.V. | Startseite (integrityline.app)
• Reports of violations can be sent by e-mail to the following e-mail address: hinweisgeber@goethe.de or
• by letter to the following postal address:

Please note that complaints about the quality of our courses and exams will not be processed via the Goethe-Institut's whistleblowing system. For complaints about exams, please contact the following e-mail address: pruefungen@goethe.de. If you have a complaint about a course, please contact directly the institute organizing your course.