A) Objectives of the pledge:
With the rise of social media, young people are increasingly exposed to extensive news reports about armed conflicts. However, these news reports often lack age-appropriate explanations as well as information about the rules of armed conflict and related sanctions for perpetrators. Austria wishes to contribute to a better understanding of the young generation for international humanitarian and criminal law, and how joint efforts among states and other relevant stakeholders to ensure respect for and implementation of these international rules can contribute to a more just and peaceful world.
Therefore, Austria and the Austrian Red Cross pledge to develop educational materials and to implement workshops for secondary school students intended to help raising awareness of the main rules and mechanisms of international humanitarian and criminal law.
This pledge relates to the theme of Commission I at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (RCRC Conference) entitled “Building a Global Culture of Respect for International Humanitarian Law.” It also contributes to the implementation of the Resolution “Toward a universal culture of compliance with international humanitarian law”, in particular OP5 which “strongly encourages States to intensify their efforts to disseminate IHL” and OP6 which “calls upon National Societies to disseminate IHL in educational institutions and encourages States to integrate these subject matters into formal curricula.”
B) Action plan:
Austria will develop educational materials for secondary school students intended to help teachers to raise awareness of the main rules and mechanisms of international humanitarian and criminal law. In the context of concrete and real conflict situations, students will learn (i) what are the main rules of international humanitarian law, (ii) which international crimes are punishable, (iii) which entities are responsible for the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, and how they cooperate, (iv) why accountability is important for justice and compliance. Learning will take place in an age-appropriate context, using a variety of interactive teaching methods.
Moreover, throughout the period 2025–2028, Austria and the Austrian Red Cross will regularly implement workshops and other educational measures at secondary schools and work with students and teachers in order to raise their awareness of the main rules and mechanisms of international humanitarian and criminal law.
C) Indicators for measuring progress:
Progress will be measured by:
- Completion and dissemination of the above-mentioned educational materials;
- Number of workshops and other educational measures;
- Number of participants in the workshops and other educational measures.
D) Resource implications:
The financial and human resources needed for the above-mentioned measures will be provided by Austria and the Austrian Red Cross.