Human Rights 1948/58 - Development and Significance of Human Rights in Austria

On 11 September 2018, the top floor of the Juridicum building hosted the second portion of the conference “Human Rights 1948/58 – Development and Significance of Human Rights in Austria”, under the scientific direction of Professors Ursula Kriebaum (University of Vienna) and Katharina Pabel (University of Linz), as well as Dr. Markus Vasek (Vienna University of Economics and Business). The morning was devoted to the significance of the UN Human Rights Covenants for Austrian law (Professors Christina Binder (Bundeswehr University Munich) and Gerd Oberleitner (ETC Graz), moderated by Professor Ursula Kriebaum (University of Vienna).

Proceeding with projects developed in the context of a human rights project conducted by the European Training and Research Center (ETC Graz), pupils aged eight to twenty-one originating from various schools across Austria and Liechtenstein were invited to present their work. Employing various means, the presentations included a self-produced video concerning mobbing, posters devoted to civic courage and a rap song.

During the afternoon session an expert panel composed of Professors Katharina Pabel (University of Linz) and Stefan Griller (University of Salzburg), moderated by Maria Wittman-Tiwald (President of the Commercial Court Vienna), discussed the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights upon the Austrian legal system. The event was felicitously concluded with a speech by Dr. Heinz Fischer, former President of the Republic of Austria, on the historical background of human rights in Austria, with a particular emphasis on their present significance.