diff --git a/backend/internal/server/error_handler.go b/backend/internal/server/error_handler.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6dceb06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/server/error_handler.go
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/go-playground/validator/v10"
+	"github.com/labstack/echo/v4"
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
+)
+
+/*
+Global error handler for all incoming requests to the server.
+It handles base error types, echo.HTTPError and validator.ValidationErrors.
+The handler logs any error set in the echo.Context of the request with key "internal_error".
+
+The error handler tries to respond with ErrorReponse as body if the request
+has not been committed. In case the response fails, it would log the error.
+
+Example:
+
+	e := echo.New()
+	e.HTTPErrorHandler = errorHandler
+
+	e.GET("/", func (c echo.Context) error {
+	    return echo.NewHTTPError(http.statusBadRequest, "my bad")
+	})
+*/
+func errorHandler(err error, c echo.Context) {
+	req := c.Request()
+	internalErr, ok := c.Get("internal_error").(error)
+	if !ok {
+		internalErr = nil
+	}
+	requestID := req.Header.Get(echo.HeaderXRequestID)
+
+	// default error response
+	status := http.StatusInternalServerError
+	message := "internal server error"
+	var validationErrors []string
+
+	// handle different error types
+	switch e := err.(type) {
+	case *echo.HTTPError:
+		status = e.Code
+		// since the echo.HTTPError allows type any for the
+		// message field, we should make sure that it is an
+		// actual string that was passed before using it.
+		// problems can arise if an struct was passed but
+		// not meant to be exposed to the public or
+		// is just straight up unreadable.
+		if msg, ok := e.Message.(string); ok {
+			message = msg
+		} else {
+			message = http.StatusText(e.Code)
+		}
+
+	case validator.ValidationErrors:
+		// handle validation errors specially
+		status = http.StatusBadRequest
+		message = "validation failed"
+		validationErrors = make([]string, len(e))
+		for i, err := range e {
+			validationErrors[i] = err.Error()
+		}
+
+	case error:
+		// assign the returned error from handlers as the internal error.
+		// this is probably an internal error when trying to respond.
+		// this ensures that no internal error message gets leaks to the public.
+		if internalErr == nil {
+			internalErr = err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// log with more context
+	log.
+		Error().
+		AnErr("internal_error", internalErr).
+		AnErr("request_error", err).
+		Str("request_id", requestID).
+		Str("method", req.Method).
+		Str("path", req.URL.Path).
+		Int("status", status).
+		Str("user_agent", req.UserAgent()).
+		Msg("request error")
+
+	// return json response
+	if !c.Response().Committed {
+		response := ErrorResponse{
+			Status:    status,
+			Message:   message,
+			RequestID: requestID,
+		}
+		if len(validationErrors) > 0 {
+			response.Errors = validationErrors
+		}
+
+		if err := c.JSON(status, response); err != nil {
+			log.Error().
+				Err(err).
+				Str("request_id", requestID).
+				Msg("failed to send error response")
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/server/error_handler_test.go b/backend/internal/server/error_handler_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d1819a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/server/error_handler_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/go-playground/validator/v10"
+	"github.com/labstack/echo/v4"
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog"
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestGlobalErrorHandler(t *testing.T) {
+	// setup
+	e := echo.New()
+	e.HTTPErrorHandler = errorHandler
+
+	// test cases
+	tests := []struct {
+		name           string
+		handler        echo.HandlerFunc
+		expectedStatus int
+		expectedBody   string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "http error",
+			handler: func(c echo.Context) error {
+				return echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadRequest, "bad request")
+			},
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedBody:   `{"status":400,"message":"bad request"}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "generic error",
+			handler: func(c echo.Context) error {
+				return echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusInternalServerError, "something went wrong")
+			},
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusInternalServerError,
+			expectedBody:   `{"status":500,"message":"something went wrong"}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "validation error",
+			handler: func(c echo.Context) error {
+				type TestStruct struct {
+					Email string `validate:"required,email"`
+					Age   int    `validate:"required,gt=0"`
+				}
+
+				v := validator.New()
+				err := v.Struct(TestStruct{
+					Email: "invalid-email",
+					Age:   -1,
+				})
+
+				return err
+			},
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedBody: `{
+				"status": 400,
+				"message": "validation failed",
+				"errors": [
+					"Key: 'TestStruct.Email' Error:Field validation for 'Email' failed on the 'email' tag",
+					"Key: 'TestStruct.Age' Error:Field validation for 'Age' failed on the 'gt' tag"
+				]
+			}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "with request id",
+			handler: func(c echo.Context) error {
+				c.Request().Header.Set(echo.HeaderXRequestID, "test-123")
+				return echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadRequest, "bad request")
+			},
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedBody:   `{"status":400,"message":"bad request","request_id":"test-123"}`,
+		},
+	}
+
+	// run tests
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+			rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			c := e.NewContext(req, rec)
+
+			err := tt.handler(c)
+			if err != nil {
+				e.HTTPErrorHandler(err, c)
+			}
+
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedStatus, rec.Code)
+			assert.JSONEq(t, tt.expectedBody, rec.Body.String())
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+type logEntry struct {
+	Level         string `json:"level"`
+	InternalError string `json:"internal_error"`
+	RequestError  string `json:"request_error"`
+	RequestID     string `json:"request_id"`
+	Method        string `json:"method"`
+	Path          string `json:"path"`
+	Status        int    `json:"status"`
+	UserAgent     string `json:"user_agent"`
+	Message       string `json:"message"`
+}
+
+type customError struct {
+	msg string
+}
+
+func (e *customError) Error() string {
+	return e.msg
+}
+
+func TestErrorHandler(t *testing.T) {
+	// setting a validation error to not mock anything
+	type TestStruct struct {
+		Email string `validate:"required,email"`
+		Age   int    `validate:"required,gt=0"`
+	}
+
+	v := validator.New()
+	validationErr := v.Struct(TestStruct{
+		Email: "invalid-email",
+		Age:   -1,
+	})
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name           string
+		err            error
+		internalErr    error
+		expectedStatus int
+		expectedMsg    string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:           "internal server error",
+			err:            errors.New("something went wrong"),
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusInternalServerError,
+			expectedMsg:    "internal server error",
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "http error with string message",
+			err:            echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid input"),
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedMsg:    "invalid input",
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "http error with non-string message",
+			err:            echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadRequest, struct{ foo string }{foo: "bar"}),
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedMsg:    http.StatusText(http.StatusBadRequest),
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "validation error",
+			err:            validationErr,
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusBadRequest,
+			expectedMsg:    "validation failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:           "with internal error set",
+			err:            errors.New("handler error"),
+			internalErr:    errors.New("internal error"),
+			expectedStatus: http.StatusInternalServerError,
+			expectedMsg:    "internal server error",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Create a buffer to capture log output
+			var buf bytes.Buffer
+			log.Logger = zerolog.New(&buf)
+
+			// Setup Echo context
+			e := echo.New()
+			req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/test", nil)
+			req.Header.Set(echo.HeaderXRequestID, "test-request-id")
+			req.Header.Set("User-Agent", "test-agent")
+			rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			c := e.NewContext(req, rec)
+
+			// Set internal error if provided
+			if tt.internalErr != nil {
+				c.Set("internal_error", tt.internalErr)
+			}
+
+			// Call error handler
+			errorHandler(tt.err, c)
+
+			// Parse log output
+			var entry logEntry
+			err := json.Unmarshal(buf.Bytes(), &entry)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+			// Verify log fields
+			assert.Equal(t, "error", entry.Level)
+			assert.Equal(t, "test-request-id", entry.RequestID)
+			assert.Equal(t, http.MethodPost, entry.Method)
+			assert.Equal(t, "/test", entry.Path)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedStatus, entry.Status)
+			assert.Equal(t, "test-agent", entry.UserAgent)
+			assert.Equal(t, "request error", entry.Message)
+
+			// Verify error logging
+			assert.Contains(t, entry.RequestError, tt.err.Error())
+			if tt.internalErr != nil {
+				assert.Contains(t, entry.InternalError, tt.internalErr.Error())
+			} else if tt.err != nil && !isHTTPError(tt.err) && !isValidationError(tt.err) {
+				// If no internal error was set and the error is not HTTP or validation,
+				// the handler error should be set as internal error
+				assert.Contains(t, entry.InternalError, tt.err.Error())
+			}
+
+			// Verify response
+			var response ErrorResponse
+			err = json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &response)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedStatus, response.Status)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedMsg, response.Message)
+			assert.Equal(t, "test-request-id", response.RequestID)
+
+			// Verify validation errors if applicable
+			if _, ok := tt.err.(validator.ValidationErrors); ok {
+				assert.NotEmpty(t, response.Errors)
+			} else {
+				assert.Empty(t, response.Errors)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// Helper functions to check error types
+func isHTTPError(err error) bool {
+	_, ok := err.(*echo.HTTPError)
+	return ok
+}
+
+func isValidationError(err error) bool {
+	_, ok := err.(validator.ValidationErrors)
+	return ok
+}