A) Objectives of the pledge:
Austria and the Austrian Red Cross wish to contribute to the implementation and dissemination of IHL. In the context of the 33rd International Conference’s agend item “IHL: Protecting People in Armed Conflict”, we therefore pledge to continue to jointly organise annual seminars on current IHL topics for professionals and volunteers in fields relevant to IHL implementation, for students as well as for journalists and other opinion leaders. We recall similar pledges made at previous International Conferences, which we have duly implemented.
B) Action plan:
The Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and the Austrian Red Cross will continue to jointly organise, together with the Universities of Graz and Linz, annual seminars on IHL issues. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence will regularly conduct its three-week Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisors in cooperation with the European Security and Defence College. In addition, the Federal Ministry of Defence will annually conduct an advanced education seminar for the legal advisors of the Ministry of Defence and the Austrian Armed Forces.
C) Indicators for measuring progress:
Progress will be measured according to the number of seminars organised and the number of participants in the seminars.
D) Resource implications:
The resources needed for the seminars will be provided by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Defence, the University of Graz, the University of Linz and the Austrian Red Cross.