Human Rights

Did you know that Austria...

• brings up the protection of human rights in all meetings with other states
• intervenes together with the EU every year in hundreds of cases to protect threatened individuals all over the world
• supports local human rights activities worldwide through its embassies
• supports projects to promote human rights and the rule of law in many countries, including projects to combat violence against women, female genital mutilation and the care of child soldiers.

The support of human rights is a core concern of Austria’s foreign policy. Focuses of the Austrian commitment are promotion of the rights of women, protection of children in armed conflicts, support of human rights defenders, abolition of the death penalty, combating racism and trafficking in human beings, protecting minorities, and human rights education. Austria works closely with its partners in the EU and is also highly active within the United Nations, Council of Europe and OSCE. The following pages contain more detailed information about the focuses and aims of Austrian human rights policy.