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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 2A
    Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

    Joint Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Austria pledges to continue to engage in raising international awareness about the challenge for the protection of civilians in armed conflict posed by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas. It commits to support the collection of data on the direct civilian harm and the reverberating effects on civilians and civilian objects resulting from the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas, and to contribute to the collection and exchange of information on good practices and lessons learned in minimizing impacts on civilians when using such weapons in populated areas. It further pledges to continue to look for effective measures to strengthen the respect for international humanitarian law in this regard, among them an international political declaration on the issue.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: Costa Rica, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Mozambique, Spain, Zambia, Luxembourg

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria commits to promote the implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and to work with the United Nations, regional organizations and Member States in monitoring compliance with international rules and standards to safeguard journalists, media professionals and associated personnel including in situations of conflict and emergencies and to join a global effort to end impunity for attacks against journalists.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria has continued to promote a world free of anti-personnel mines through universalization and implementation of the antipersonnel mine ban convention. Austria presided over the 16th Meeting of States Parties from 18 to 21 December 2017 in Vienna. The conference created an impulse for efforts of the international community to reach an antipersonnel mine free world by the year 2025, as agreed during the review conference in Maputo in 2014. More than one million euros were donated for victim assistance and mine clearance projects in Ukraine and Bosnia-Hercegovina respectively. Additional financial support was given to the Implementation Support Unit of the convention, as well as to International Coalition to Ban Landmines.

    As a second priority Austria has continued its engagement in promoting discussions on how to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA). Austria coordinated Geneva-based discussions of a group of States, representatives of international organizations and civil society on the issue, focussing on possible ways to improve the observance of applicable international humanitarian law. Furthermore, Austria gave financial support to a regional conference in Mozambique.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    • Near universal stop in use of anti-personnel mines by States; 164 State parties to the Anti-personnel mine convention.
    • Practice of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to reduce impact of EWIPA on the civilian population.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Adherence to standards and/or humanitarian principles
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Since progress on these initiatives not only depends on State adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and to International Human Rights Law (IHRL) but also on the practices of non-state actors during armed conflict, the realization of set objectives will face some challenges.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Austria together with a core group of states has organized expert group meetings and side events among other activities since 2015 and intends to continue awareness raising campaigns on EWIPA through 2018. Austria chaired the 16th Meeting of the States Parties of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in 2017 and will continue its efforts and engagement towards achieving a mine free world by 2025.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The universal adherence to the provisions of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention remains a collective goal.

    Calling on more States to turn their attention to and address the humanitarian consequences of EWIPA. The aim is the protection of civilians in armed conflicts through the implementation of a political declaration on the use of EWIPA.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    The possibility to request support by affected States under the Anti-Personnel Mine (APM) Ban Convention has significantly reduced APM stockpiles and the progress of mine clearance activities, as well as victim assistance.

    Keywords

    Protection

  • 2B
    Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria will continue to train armed forces on the applicable legal framework for the protection of health care as well as ethical duties of health care personnel.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria will train armed forces to respect the obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria commits to use leverage and influence to prevent and end any arbitrary withholding of consent to impartial humanitarian relief.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to ensure all populations in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to promote and enhance efforts to respect and protect medical personnel, transports and facilities, as well as humanitarian relief personnel and assets against attacks, threats or other violent acts.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria (AT) co-sponsored initiatives that cover the violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and/or the humanitarian situation of the relevant countries such as Resolution 34/26 on the human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and Resolution 34/39 on technical assistance and capacity-building for human rights in Mali (34th HRC), Res. 35/26 on human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (35th Human Rights Council (HRC)), Resolution 36/31 on human rights, technical assistance and capacity-building in Yemen (36th HRC) as well as A/RES/72/248 on human rights in Myanmar (72nd UN General Assembly (GA)).

    On the occasion of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis-Pledging Conference in Oct. 2017, AT committed to make a financial contribution of € 350.000 in order to raise the necessary resources to enable the humanitarian community to meet the most urgent needs of Rohingya refugees who sought shelter and safety in Bangladesh. AT made national statements that also referred to the humanitarian situation of the relevant country such as in the interactive dialogue with the international and independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

    Lectures/seminars on the law of armed conflict, IHL and Protection of Civilians (PoC) are integrated in the military training and education at all levels. For recruits and non-commissioned officers, the individual level is the focus of the training (Code of Conduct, etc.). For officers, the focus of the training lies on the role and responsibility of military leaders at different levels of command. The topic Support to Humanitarian Assistance is an integral part of various scenarios used for training. Contents are revised regularly and adapted if necessary.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • By reporting to, or using reports prepared for, UN principal organs, UN governing boards, or other international bodies
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    • Other: by regular quality-management-system, feedback for objectives & methodology, regular evaluation processes.
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Continue training and education based on prior experiences; adapt training contents in an evolving way if necessary.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian principles, IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2C
    Speak out on violations

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria commits to promote independent fact-finding concerning breaches of IHL, in particular with regard to attacks on health workers and health facilities, in order to ensure provision of health services to people affected by armed conflict.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria actively supports the establishment and functioning of independent fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry given their crucial role in investigating allegations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations. Austria is committed to cooperate with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria and co-sponsored S/RES/2286 (2016) condemning healthcare attacks in armed conflict, and A/RES/71/248 (2016) establishing the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria since 2011.

    During its Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship, Austria initiated the use of good offices of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) to deploy an ad hoc Team for the External Independent Forensic Investigation on the death of a member of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine (first involvement of the IHFFC under Article 90 of Additional Protocol (AP) I to the Geneva Convention (GC)).

    As a priority of its human rights policy, Austria organized regular meetings of the Group of Friends of the Safety of Journalists (SoJ) it initiated at UNESCO, coordinated Member States (MS)’ participation in UNESCO-consultation on implementing the UN-Action Plan (UN-AP), organized the first MS-driven meeting on national initiatives to implement the UN-AP/”National Safety Mechanisms” and led the drafting of a UNESCO-resolution to strengthen the UN-AP. In the 72nd UN-General Assembly session, Austria as member of the core group sponsored a resolution on SoJ. During its 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, Austria highlighted the topic of freedom of expression and the media by organizing inter alia a Conference on Media Freedom in the Western Balkans together with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Austria will continue to support the work of the above-mentioned and possible future independent fact-finding missions in 2018 and hope that the IHFFC will soon be operational on other cases as well.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Making use of the good offices of the IHFFC, e.g. also in the OSCE context, following a suggestion by the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2D
    Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria will offer legal assistance to interested States in drafting national legislation encompassing the full range of international crimes and expanding jurisdiction over them.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • In order to promote and enhance the protection of civilians, Austria commits to offer IHL and human rights law training sessions for foreign armed forces. In particular, Austria will continue to offer the Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers, under the auspices of the European Security and Defence College. The main aim of this course is to convey core knowledge about the application of international law, in particular IHL and human rights law, to international crisis-management operations by military and security forces.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria and the Austrian Red Cross will continue their good cooperation in organizing seminars disseminating IHL for professionals and volunteers in fields relevant to IHL, students as well as journalists and other opinion leaders. Given recent developments, special attention will be given to 1) current international events and developments and how IHL relates to them, 2) the relationship between IHL and international human rights law and 3) applicability of and compliance with IHL and international human rights law.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria commits to continue to support advocacy efforts and to forge partnerships for the eradication of sexual and gender based violence, in particular with regard to strengthening effective legal and policy responses, as well as combating the social stigma attached to survivors.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria commits to developing and implementing strategies for the engagement of men and boys as part of the solution to prevent and respond to gender based violence. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) is committed to promote among Partners the full implementation of the IASC GBV Guidelines by 2020.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability

    The Ministry for Defense organized the 9th Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers. By now, these courses have been providing international law training to more than 200 military/civilian legal advisers in the Armed Forces or the Ministries of Defense from 30 European States as well as from the European External Action Service (EEAS) - in order to enhance the rule of law, in particular the law of armed conflict and human rights law, in the context of international crisis-management operations by military and security forces.

    The MFA and the Austrian Red Cross continued the series of annual seminars on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and organized a seminar on "40th Anniversary of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions" which was very well received and attended by professionals, journalists, volunteers, students and other opinion leaders.

    Regarding accountability -> see also 2C, regarding compliance -> see also 2E.

    Gender-based violence prevention and response

    The promotion of gender equality and women’s rights is core priority of Austria’s foreign policy (focus areas: “Women, Peace and Security”, violence against women and political empowerment). In addition, women empowerment and protection of their rights are core subjects of the Austrian development cooperation. During its 2017 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship, Austria supported a project establishing capacities of law enforcement authorities in order to prevent and combat gender-based violence in Eastern Europe.

    Other-2D

    The Austrian Development Agency also fosters programmes to promote the engagement of men and boys inter alia to change behavior and attitude regarding sexual and gender based violence such as a project with CARE Austria in the Danube-Region and Western Balkans called “YMI II - Young Men Initiative” (Oct. 2017-Sept.2020) implemented in cooperation with four local partners in Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo and Serbia. The project aims to enable positive and peaceful societies for young people especially young men vulnerable to violence and anti-social behavior in Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project’s specific objective is to improve Youth NGOs and government capacities to integrate Program Youth - Life Skills Educational Curriculum in current educational and youth policy strategies.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Each module of the Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers is evaluated by the participants as well as by the European Security and Defense College. The results are duly taken into account by the organizers to further improve the course.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Information management/tools
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    • Other: Complex legal matters in a foreign language present a challenge for the methodological approach.
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    These challenges impact the achievement in a way that the preparations for the Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers are more complicated and time-consuming.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers; joint seminar on international humanitarian law issues by the MFA and Austrian Red Cross, assisted by the universities of Graz and Linz; Austria is ready to render technical assistance also in the field of drafting national legislation.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Meetings, consultations and discussions with everyone involved into preparing and conducting the Vienna Course are needed to make collective progress.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    The new evaluation process, developed with the European Security & Defense College, constitutes an innovation to advance the transformation. Through an online programme it is now possible for the participants to fill in the evaluation anonymously.

    Keywords

    Education, Gender, IHL compliance and accountability, Youth

  • 2E
    Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

    Joint Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Austria pledges to continue the humanitarian initiative for a world free of nuclear weapons. It further pledges to raise awareness about this important issue, both at the national and at the international level. The aim of this initiative is to fill the legal gap with regard to nuclear weapons in light of their catastrophic and unacceptable humanitarian consequences and the great risk which these weapons are posing for the entire planet.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: Andorra, Mexico, Nicaragua, Samoa, El Salvador, Algeria, Brazil, Cook Islands, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malaysia, South Africa and Thailand

    • Austria pledges to continue to promote ratification of and accession to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention by States. It remains gravely concerned about the continued use of anti-personnel mines and strongly condemns any such use by any actor. It further pledges to uphold its commitment to meet the humanitarian goal of the Convention - a world free from the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines - and to put an end to the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines through their complete eradication.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Luxemburg, Germany, Guatemala, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden, Ukraine and Chile.

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria pledges to strive towards the effective implementation and to promote the ratification of and accession to the Arms Trade Treaty with a view to achieve its universal application. Austria remains gravely concerned about the human suffering caused by the effect of illegal or irresponsible transfer of conventional weapons.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Austria commits to engage in an intergovernmental process to find agreement on the functions and features of a potential forum of States on international humanitarian law (IHL) and ways to enhance the implementation of IHL, in conformity with resolution 2 of the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2015.
    • Partnership
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria is promoting a better implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for many years. It supports the intergovernmental discussions on strengthening compliance with IHL in Geneva facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Switzerland, inter alia by actively supporting the proposal to establish a Forum of States.

    Austria actively participated in the First, Second and Third Formal Meeting of the intergovernmental process on strengthening respect for IHL in Geneva in November 2016 and April 2017 and – together with other States – worked towards implementing Resolution 2 of the 32nd International Conference. 

    Austria continues to call for respect for IHL also in the framework of existing fora, e.g. the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Conferences and regional mechanisms. Under its commitment to promote respect for IHL, Austria’s engagement to initiate the process that led to the negotiation and subsequent adoption on 7th July 2017 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is particularly noteworthy. Central to the conceptualization of the treaty was the Humanitarian Initiative which placed the unacceptable consequences of nuclear weapons at the heart of the debate.

    Also in 2017 Austria participated in the third Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), provided expertise to the EU for ATT outreach activities and supported United Nations Programme of Action efforts to curb the illegal transfer of conventional weapons.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • By reporting to, or using reports prepared for, UN principal organs, UN governing boards, or other international bodies
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    The majority of States are in favor of a legal ban of nuclear weapons as was demonstrated with the 125 (yes):39 (no):14 (abstentions) voting result at the 72nd UN-GA on a nuclear disarmament resolution.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Human resources/capacity
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Nuclear weapons are still central to the security strategy of some states, which are reluctant to give up on these capabilities in the current international environment. Lobbying from these countries on others might delay the ratification process of the TPNW.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Austria supports the continuation of the processes’ facilitation by the ICRC and Switzerland. Austria will continue to engage actively and constructively in the further Meetings of States in 2018. Further promote the signatures and ratifications of the TPNW at the multilateral disarmament meetings in 2018. Promote the universalization of the ATT through international efforts and outreach activities.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Reassessment of the role of nuclear weapons in security concepts in light of the humanitarian consequences. To consider the TPNW as a necessary step in a broader process of eliminating nuclear weapons as was the case with the prohibition of chemical and biological weapons in the respective conventions. Achieve 50 ratifications of the TPNW to further its entry into force.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Cross-regional cooperation among committed countries and with with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) before and during the negotiations of the TPNW to be continued.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability

  • 3A
    Reduce and address displacement

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Austria will advocate within the Boards of the International Financial Institutions, and particularly the World Bank, to ensure that the forthcoming Multilateral Development Bank replenishments deliver a relevant, coherent and cost effective set of instruments to respond to the challenge of disasters and crises, especially to support hosts in coping with large refugee caseloads, including in Middle Income Countries. Austria also will provide, subject to parliamentary approval, additional voluntary contributions of EUR 160 million to IDA 17 in order to support financing investments that address the causes of displacement and alleviate the impact of displacement on countries of origin, transit, and destination.


    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Refugees

    Austria continues to advocate within the Boards of the International Financial Institutions, including the different funds associated with them, that institutions deliver a relevant, coherent and cost effective set or instruments to respond to crisis and disasters, in particular to support hosts in coping with large refugee caseloads.

    IDPs (due to conflict, violence, and disaster)

    see above

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    Keywords

    Displacement

  • 3D
    Empower and protect women and girls

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria commits to apply the IASC, ECHO or other gender and age markers to 100% of their humanitarian funding allocations by 2018.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Austria commits to reach a 15% target for gender responsive programming in humanitarian settings, in line with the peace and security commitment by 2020.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Austria commits to support humanitarian actors which comply with existing gender equality norms enshrined in international legal instruments and ensure the provision of adequate resources for gender-responsive service delivery.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Austria commits to support the inclusion of active women's delegates in humanitarian fora to ensure the empowerment of women and girls as decision makers and implementers and their meaningful participation in humanitarian actions.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Austria commits to upholding sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights guided by inter alia CESCR General Comment 22 including access to essential medicines and services as defined by the World Health Organisation.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Promoting gender equality and women’s rights is a core priority of Austria’s foreign policy (focus areas: “Women, Peace and Security”, violence against women and political empowerment).

    Austria continues to actively support the full implementation of Security Council (SC) Resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent SC resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Together with partners from civil society, Austria regularly organizes side-events in New York to give them a voice on the important work on the localization of Resolution 1325 in different regions.

    Austria participates actively in the work of the Group of Friends on Women, Peace and Security. During its 2017 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship, Austria organized various events such as conferences, or side-events and provided financial support to projects on enhancing the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the OSCE region. Furthermore, Austria is committed to increase the percentage of women in leadership functions of the OSCE Secretariat, its institutions and OSCE field missions.Austria is committed to ensure that all events organized by Austria,include panelists of both genders.

    In the field of development cooperation, Austria contributes to the the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Jordan Response Plan in the Health Sector/Sexual reproductive Rights. The programme aims at delivering/improving access to life-saving basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care services to the Syrian refugees in Zaatari camp

    BMNT (Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism): general assembly of "women exchange for disaster risk reduction (we4DRR)", an international network coordinated by BMNT that supports women working as researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • Other: Reporting towards the relevant stakeholder in within their reporting channels and procedures.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    By face-to-face feedback.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    To promote the network, a variety of different stakeholder has to be identified across different sectors.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Continue networking and identifying more relevant stakeholders and persons, also on a international level.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The bigger the network the bigger will be the awareness about necessity of including gender issues in the frame of natural risk management.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    The experience within the network and internal discussion showed the importance and the "right-time" now to open the gender issue also in the frame of natural risk management.

    Keywords

    Gender

  • 3G
    Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria is committed to a human-rights-based approach, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters, and will promote the inclusion of vulnerable persons, including persons with disabilities, to address their diverse needs throughout the disaster management cycle.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria is continuously taking measures to turn a human-rights-based approach to disaster risk management into reality. It has implemented a comprehensive cross-sectorial disaster risk management system covering the full disaster management cycle and integrating the activities of various public and private actors at all levels. Around 4% of the population engage as volunteers in emergency response organizations, which allows a quick and comprehensive natural and man-made emergency response. Ongoing measures and investments, particularly in reducing natural hazards, have sustainably reduced catastrophe risks in Austria. In fact, in the last years, there have been only few deaths and casualties due to disasters. Relevant ongoing measures were continued in 2017.

    Within this framework special attention is paid to vulnerable groups, including with special needs, both in risk analysis and response planning. In 2017, a warning system via mobile app was launched complementing the existing siren-based warning system, thus providing an additional warning channel for people with specific needs. For many years, specific projects have been carried out by the Austrian Civil Protection Association, supported by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, to strengthen the emergency preparedness of children and parents in everyday life. These activities were continued in 2017. A key project in this context is the annual Children's Safety Olympics, extended for the first time to elderly people in 2017. Similarly, the goal is to strengthen the preparedness of older people.

    Barrier-free access to information about civil protection and disaster management is key too. For this purpose, since 2017 “easier reading” information has been available online.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Through regular contacts and working formats, including by face-to-face feedback.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • good cooperation with all actors involved is key.
    • Austria's federal structure requires continuous coordination between the Federal Government and Länder.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Continuation of the aforementioned activities, with special emphasis on vulnerable groups and persons with special needs.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction

  • 4A
    Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Recognising the potentially transformative power of humanitarian cash transfers, Austria commits to ensuring that cash is equally considered alongside other response modalities throughout a humanitarian response and that, where feasible, cash is used as the preferred and default modality.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Austria commits to strengthen the capacity of front line responders, including local civil society organizations.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Cash-based programming

    Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) continues to ensure that the humanitarian programs and projects it funds use cash transfer as an aid modality wherever possible and feasible. To do so, ADC works with professional humanitarian implementing partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and qualified Austrian non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

    Local civil society organizations play a key role in almost all humanitarian programs and projects supported by ADC. With key partners of ADC such as the Red Cross /Red Crescent Movement, capacity strengthening of their local civil society organizations, i. e. the national Red Cross/Red Crescent Society in the target country, is usually one of the intended results of the humanitarian program/project.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Cash transfer progress is assessed through regular exchange with humanitarian partners on that topic and through review of relevant progress reports and updates. Furthermore, field visits are used to monitor the way cash modalities are used by partners on the ground.

    Keywords

    Cash, Local action

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Individual Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria pledges to continue to develop user-driven early warning systems for National Weather Services in countries in Eastern and South Eastern Europe, Asia and Central Africa to enable the services to better calculate and prepare for the risk of extreme events and hazards; special attention will be given to reach vulnerable groups, like elderly, children and people with special needs, by carefully studying and designing their communication needs and potential reaction patterns.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Austria commits to continue to support efforts for resilience building and disaster risk reduction at the national or international level.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Austria commits to enhance efforts to better integrate disaster risk reduction into national planning and development cooperation.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Austria commits to join the One Billion Coalition to help achieve the goal that by 2025 at least one billion people around the world will have taken active steps to become safer, healthier and more prosperous.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Bundesministerium für Nachhaltigkeit und Tourismus (BMNT): Continuous investment in disaster risk reduction has led to a significant reduction of losses from disasters. Responsibilities for risk prevention and mitigation are shared among the different government levels. A significant increase in capacity to enable co-operation for coordinating strategies and policies across ministries and sectors. Also active engagement by citizens exposed to natural hazards in helping to address risks.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    The reduction of damages resulting from natural hazards is a key indicator of progress but other risks could also be reduced significantly. Other benchmarks are the coverage of hazard areas with hazard/risk maps or response plans.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding amounts
    • Other: -) protective infrastructure maintenance, -) awareness for/separation of public/individual responsibility
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    • To find a good balance between investments into new protective infrastructure and the need to maintain the existing one.
    • To integrate all relevant sectors and stakeholders by means of a risk management approach.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • Continuing networking in Austria's Platform for DRR.
    • Secure funding.
    • Implementation of the EU Floods Directive, 2nd cycle.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Austria's Platform for DRR.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction

  • 5A
    Invest in local capacities

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Austria commits to strengthen the capacity of front line responders, including local civil society organizations.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Other-5A

    Local civil society organizations continue to play a key role in almost all humanitarian programs and projects supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). With key partners of ADC such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, capacity strengthening of their local civil society organizations, i.e. the national Red Cross/Red Crescent Society in the target country, is usually one of the intended results of the humanitarian program/project.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    Keywords

    Local action

  • 5D
    Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Austria commits to increase its long-term funding for humanitarian assistance and will continue to provide support to recognized and experienced humanitarian organizations working on the ground to ensure populations in need receive timely and adequate support.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria continues to advocate within the Boards of the International Financial Institutions, including the different funds associated with them, that institutions deliver a relevant, coherent and cost effective set or instruments to respond to crisis and disasters, in particular to support hosts in coping with large refugee caseloads. Austria disbursed the first installment committed under the International Development Association (IDA) 17 (see 3A). 

    In 2017, Austria again reached a new record level of humanitarian funding. The main implementing partners were humanitarian organisations of the United Nations (UN) System, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and Austrian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responsible for their local partners. The main focus of Austria's support was internally displaced people (IDPs) in Syria and Iraq as well as Syrian refugees in the region. In 2017, Austria also provided significant resources to the European Union (EU) Refugee Facility for Turkey.

    Keywords

    Displacement

  • 5E
    Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Austria will advocate within the Boards of the International Financial Institutions, and particularly the World Bank, to ensure that the forthcoming Multilateral Development Bank replenishments deliver a relevant, coherent and cost effective set of instruments to respond to the challenge of disasters and crises, especially to support hosts in coping with large refugee caseloads, including in Middle Income Countries. Austria also will provide, subject to parliamentary approval, additional voluntary contributions of EUR 160 million to IDA 17 in order to support financing investments that address the causes of displacement and alleviate the impact of displacement on countries of origin, transit, and destination.


    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Austria continues to advocate within the Boards of the International Financial Institutions, including the different funds associated with them, that institutions deliver a relevant, coherent and cost effective set or instruments to respond to crisis and disasters, in particular to support hosts in coping with large refugee caseloads. Austria disbursed the first installment committed under International Development Association (IDA) 17 (see 3A).

    Keywords

    Displacement