Red Cross / EU Office

Austrian Red Cross

Austrian Red Cross

Address: Wiedner Hauptstrasse 321041 – Wien
Tel: +43 1 58900-0
Fax: +43 1 58900-199
Email: office@roteskreuz.at
Website: www.roteskreuz.at


Legal Basis: · 1880: The Austrian RC is founded ·
1921: Austrian RC joins the League ·
1970: Austrian RC ’s statutes · 2007: Latest revision of the Austrian RC’s statutes ·
2008: Current legal basis for the recognition of the Austrian RC

Mission:
In accordance with its mission statement, the Austrian Red Cross operates in the following fields:Ambulance and Rescue Service, First Aid and Training Services, International Aid, Disaster Relief, Health and Social Services, Blood Programme, Humanitarian Law, Migration, Tracing Services; Austrian Youth Red Cross and ACCORD.

Constituency:
The structure covers all Austrian regions: · 9 regional branches· +/- 142 districts (regional subdivisions for the implementation of tasks), · 956 local branches.

Organisation/planning:

Development plan: The Austrian RC places great importance on the permanent development and improvement of its activities and carries out regular assessments and evaluations of its performance at all levels of the Society.

Leadership:
On national level, a strict distinction exists between governance and management. The President of the Austrian RC is a volunteer, while the Secretary General and the other members of the Managing Board are paid employees. The General Assembly meets once a year; the governance board meets at least four times a year and the Managing Board at Headquarters level once a week.·

The General Assembly is composed of the representatives of the regional committees and the members of the Governance Board. The Austrian RC’s statutes stipulate that the votes of the regional committees shall be proportionate to their population, with a minimum of four votes. At the regional level, similar ratios of distribution of votes are in place.

The existing distributions ensure an adequate representation of all parts of the population.· The Governance Board is composed of the President of the society, the Vice-Presidents, the Presidents of the regional branches and the Federal President of the Youth Red Cross. · Regional and national bodies are established as non-profit societies under Austrian law and act with legal and financial independence.

Paid staff: approx. 5.500
Volunteers: approx. 48.500
Members: approx. 760,000

Fields of activity:

AMBULANCE AND RESCUE SERVICE
The chances of surviving a traffic accident in Austria have doubled in the last 20 years - thanks to continuous improvements to the Red Cross rescue service. The Red Cross aid workers help people in need around the clock. More than two million times a year they respond to emergencies. They save lives and also provide first aid for the soul. This is only possible because the 30,000 Red Cross paramedics provide their services voluntarily.And because each year almost 4,000 young Austrians choose community service for the Red Cross as an alternative to the obligatory military service. We are at your service: Ambulance service Rescue service Emergency rescue service Psychological support Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

FIRST AID AND TRAINING SERVICES
What should I do if I encounter a road accident where people have been injured? If my child has swallowed washing detergent? In emergencies, seconds count. Seconds in which lives can be saved. With its first aid training courses the Red Cross constantly increases the number of people able to save lives. There are also courses for those looking after family members in need of homecare - more than half a million in Austria. A wide range of courses on offer:o First aid course,. Courses for paramedics, Courses for homecare, The range of courses is constantly expanded.

INTERNATIONAL AID
In accordance with the mission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation), the overriding goal of all ARC International Aid's activities is to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity”. worldwide Austrian Red Cross (ARC) International Aid's fields of activity are humanitarian aid (disaster response and recovery) and development, allowing for cross-linking within the Linking Relief Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) approach in the programme activities.

ARC International Aid focuses its activities on water and health, with these two major issues often closely interlinked in project implementation. Providing people with clean drinking water is the number one priority for the ARC at all stages of assistance: through the drinking water kits provided by the Emergency Response Units (ERUs) in disaster relief, through repair and rebuilding of wells and latrines in the recovery phase, and through long-term activities aimed at promoting water and settlement hygiene in long-term development.

Another core area of responsibility for ARC International Aid are its efforts to protect, preserve and promote health – humankind's most valuable asset. This includes disaster relief supplies (such as medicines), the reconstruction of local health facilities during the recovery phase, and provision for basic health care and in combating epidemics. All related activities are integrated into the national strategies being pursued by the target countries national Red Cross or Red Crescent Society.

In addition to the key topics water and health, three cross cutting issues that are disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change, capacity building and gender, are considered or respectively integrated in disaster management, rehabilitation and development activities. The ARC provides an additional expertise in disaster relief through provision of SAR dogs (Search and Rescue) and through deployment of IT and telecommunications ERUs. These units specialize in rapidly establishing communication links, so that following a disaster the humanitarian effort can be efficiently coordinated. During the rehabilitation stage alongside water and health issues the ARC focuses on rebuilding the local infrastructure (above all housing).

Amount spent on international work:11.7 million Euro spent on international work (2007)Delegates:43 delegates in 2007Involved Departments: International Disaster Management, National Disaster Management, International Programmes and Projects, International Coordination and Drugs Centre ·

DISASTER RELIEF
Fit for emergencies: The disaster relief workers of the Red Cross assist with evacuation, organise emergency accommodation, provide people with the basic necessities, purify drinking water. To be prepared for emergencies they train in their free time - around 600 hours a year. Disaster relief in Austria:o Medical mass casualty kito Emergency accommodation and field kitchens, Conditioning drinking water, Emergency generators, Search- and rescue-dogs

HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Austria in the year 2050: more than 900,000 people will be over 80 years old. Who will look after those who aren’t able to care for themselves? The fulltime and voluntary Red Cross workers. Their job today is to help those in need: in nursing homes, with mobile care for the elderly, as home help or with Meals on Wheels. The Red Cross ‘Direct Call’ service ensures safety for people living alone: press the button, and help arrives. The stationary and mobile hospice teams make it possible for the ill to live in dignity until the end. Accompanied trips or meetings for senior citizens promote ‘active ageing’ and ensure better care without mammoth costs. We support informal carers with councelling and training.

BLOOD PROGRAMME
Blood is the elixir of life: In many countries, including EU- countries, sufficient blood-supply units are lacking. Those in hospital often have to ask friends or family members to donate blood. In Austria, the Red Cross together with thousands of voluntary blood donors ensure that there are sufficient stocks of blood for each blood group. Hospitals can thus request them around the clock, be it Saturday night or Monday morning. Moreover, a guiding principle in the blood donation programme is that blood products have to be in keeping with the latest science and technology practices. Here too, the Austrian Red Cross is an excellent role model.

HUMANITARIAN LAW, MIGRATION, TRACING SERVICES
Separated families. Where are my parents? Are my brothers and sisters still alive? A few decades ago, many Austrians anxiously asked themselves these very questions. Today, as then, not knowing the whereabouts or well-being of missing family members after wars or disasters is a bitter reality for millions of people. The work of the Red Cross tracing service is needed more than ever. It now also offers aid to refugees who have lost contact with their families and are seeking protection in Austria. The Red Cross offers them care, legal advice and German language courses, and looks for sponsorship for young refugees in Austria. Accord - Worldwide, the Red Cross works to widen the practice of humanitarian international laws, and also works on drafting them - such as the law on banning land mines.

AUSTRIAN YOUTH RED CROSS
Learning how to help: The Austrian Youth Red Cross (AYRC) is part of the Austrian Red Cross. The task of the AYRC is to encourage young people to foster a humanitarian outlook on life and behave accordingly towards other people, as well as providing concrete help. The AYRC offers comprehensive services for both teachers and students. These include: publications and projects on issues of peace and conflict, personality strengthening and development, health issues, diverse therapy holidays and disaster relief.

Membership in RCRC networks:

Population: 8,3 million·
GPD per capita: € 32,400 ·
Life expectancy: o 82 years for women, 76 for men ·
Infant mortality: 4.5 ‰· Accessing to the EU: 1995



[Last update 02/03/2009]

















Red Cross/EU Office