2023-08-18 10:13:18
On the World Humanitarian Aid Day tomorrow, Saturday, the SPÖ and numerous NGOs appealed to the government on Friday to adopt the Republic of Austria’s strategy for humanitarian aid. Petra Bayr, spokeswoman for foreign policy and global development in the SPÖ parliamentary club, demanded: “It is high time that the federal government put the promised strategy for humanitarian aid on the table.” According to government officials, talks are underway.
“Plannability and predictability can only be guaranteed through a national strategy and close cooperation with NGOs. People in need must be able to rely on us again,” said Bayr. Humanitarian aid organizations from CARE to Caritas made similar statements. “Our experience in humanitarian operations worldwide shows us that in times of climate crisis, economic crises, the effects of corona pandemics and armed conflicts, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to act comprehensively and to adapt measures quickly to changing contexts. With the decision on the strategy of the Humanitarian aid from the federal government could quickly remedy this and Austria could act as a reliable partner in humanitarian aid,” said Andreas Knapp, Secretary General for International Programs at Caritas Austria.
Criticism also came from Walter Hajek, Head of International Cooperation at the Austrian Red Cross: “The need for humanitarian aid is immense and humanitarian aid from Austria urgently needs to be expanded further. This would be possible with the strategy of the Republic of Austria’s humanitarian aid, which has already been finalized but has not yet come into force. This strategy sets important priorities that will make aid for people in need even more effective. We would like to use the World Humanitarian Day to once again emphasize the urgency and to the Federal Government to appeal for the strategy to be decided,” he said.
CARE Austria also appealed to the federal government to decide on the strategy for humanitarian aid in the Republic of Austria. “This is the only way to enable planning, flexibility, accuracy and faster implementation of humanitarian aid,” it said in a broadcast. “According to the United Nations, 360 million people are in need – more than 30 percent more than in the previous year. That is an alarming number and all the more evidence that humanitarian aid and international support are more important than ever,” said Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, Managing Director of CARE Austria. “Now is the time when Austria proves to be the reliable partner it always was in times of crisis. We therefore appeal to the federal government to finally put words into action and to decide on the humanitarian strategy.”
“For almost two years now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had a fully developed strategy for the Republic of Austria’s humanitarian aid in the drawer. An incredibly long period of time, in which there was a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, the war of aggression against Ukraine and power struggles in Sudan and Niger,” criticized Lukas Wank, Managing Director of the AG Global Responsibility. “Tomorrow we are again celebrating World Humanitarian Aid Day, when the humanitarian strategy could be in force, but it isn’t. The Federal Government is keeping a low profile on the reasons. With its hesitation, it is risking Austria’s international reputation as a reliable partner – and that in the middle of a global crisis spiral. What is more devastating, however, is that the government is not exploiting the potential of humanitarian aid as a result,” says Wank.
Nina Hechenberger, head of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, took the same line. “While the humanitarian crises are getting longer and more diverse, Austria’s humanitarian aid strategy has not yet been implemented. And this despite the fact that the Republic of Austria’s humanitarian aid strategy has been in place for almost two years. In times of multiple, long-lasting crises, it is possible to plan and focusing through a suitable strategy is more necessary than ever.”
“Light for the World”, the specialist organization for people with disabilities, accused the ÖVP-Green coalition of hesitation: “For almost two years now, the fully developed strategy for the Republic of Austria’s humanitarian aid has been in the drawer. It has not yet been decided “We don’t know why. Austria’s hesitation is incomprehensible in view of the current crises – the federal government must act strategically and effectively,” emphasized Julia Moser, Managing Director of “Light for the World”. She also called for sufficient funds to be available to ensure swift processing.
“Jugend Eine Welt” criticized “the still unplannable provision of public funding for this area”. Reinhard Heiserer, Managing Director of the NGO, also pointed out that the “Strategy for Humanitarian Aid of the Republic of Austria” was on the table. “However, this strategy has not yet been adopted by the federal government. No one is silent about the reasons for this.” Heiserer therefore joined the renewed appeal of the development policy umbrella organization “AG Globale responsibility”, in which the government is urgently requested to adopt the strategy as quickly as possible and also to provide sufficient financial resources for it.
“World Vision Austria” – managing director Sebastian Corti joined the demands: “In order to improve the help from Austria for people in greatest need, the government must finally decide on the ‘strategy of humanitarian aid’.” In addition to the funds made available internationally, which unfortunately are currently lacking in many places, Austria must make the aid for the organizations more plannable and thus more efficient. “This allows us to initiate the necessary measures immediately. Fast help is essential, especially after disasters and crises,” added Corti.
Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) thanked for the humanitarian commitment and pointed out that since 2019 the funds of the Foreign Ministry’s Foreign Disaster Fund (AKF) had quintupled from 15 million to 77.5 million euros. “To make the aid even more effective, we are currently in constructive talks to finalize a humanitarian aid strategy,” said Kogler. Schallenberg said that Austria’s humanitarian aid would strengthen food security in the world, “because higher grain prices hit the poorest of the poor in Africa and Asia with particular force”. The Foreign Minister continued: “The Foreign Ministry’s foreign disaster fund helps, for example, in Ukraine and neighboring countries that were particularly affected, and in countries with high migration potential.”
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