Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?
YesThe commitments are incorporated into:
Strategy
Policy
Operational plan
Legislation (e.g. Law, Regulation, Statutes, Rules of Procedure etc.)
At the International, Regional, National, Local level
Explanation:
The resolution and the global RFL Strategy were incorporated in the internal strategy, policy and operational plans of the RFL department and is also reflected in the Austrian Red Cross (ARC) national strategy and also of relevance for all regional branches of the Austrian Red Cross.
The Austrian Red Cross RFL department continues to actively participate in the global “Implementation Group of the RFL Strategy” and its sub-working groups. In the field of Data Protection, the global “Restoring Family Links Code of Conduct on Data Protection Application Group” has developed standardized data protection templates (information for those searching and consent forms) for the international Restoring Family Links network, which are to be implemented by all National Societies and ICRC delegations by the next International Conference. In January 2023, tracing requests and declarations of consent adapted to data protection law were introduced across the Austrian RC.
Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?
YesPartner with:
National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in your country
Government and/or public authorities
ICRC/IFRC
Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies
Humanitarian and development partners (e.g. UN, NGOs etc.)
Examples of cooperation:
The ARC regularly exchanges and cooperates with Austrian public authorities regarding the issues mentioned in the resolution, which facilitates better access to data and support to our activities of humanitarian advocacy also in the part of family reunification.
Regular exchange with other partners of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the resolution, to ensure its successful implementation. have taken place.
Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?
YesWith challenges on:
Other
Details about challenges:
The COVID-19 pandemic as well as the cyber-attack on the ICRC’s database posed significant challenges to the implementation of the resolution.
Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?
YesType of Impact:
Cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened
Programming and operations have become more effective and efficient
Training and capacity of staff and volunteers has increased (for National Societies)
Details about the impact:
Regular exchanges of the Austrian Red Cross with Authorities such as MoI, MoFA and Asylum Authorities and other public authorities strengthened the relationship of the entities.
The concerned authorities’ general understanding of the RFL-service and its humanitarian mandate has been fostered, case management procedures in terms of asking for and receiving personal data has become more efficient.
Internal data protection procedures have been improved and updated as a consequence of the implementation of the RFL Code of Conduct globally.
Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?
YesDescription of the impact:
This resolution and its implications have highlighted that the handling of personal data is a fundamental aspect of RFL services. Privacy and data protection are crucial elements in this process. This ultimately establishes and formalizes protective measures for the communities served by the Austrian Red Cross through RFL.