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This UPR tool reflects the global recommendations made to Austria by all countries world-wide during the Universial Priodic Review process (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council and their current status of implementation. The League coordinates a significant part of Austrian civil society in the UPR process. 

The recommendations can be filtered in the menu below by human rights topics, SDGs, proponent states etc. also a search function is available. 

 

We welcome your comments and suggestions at upr@liga.or.at.

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Progress: In progress

Strengthen efforts to combat anti-Semitism and promote religious tolerance by continuing its work in education and policing

Proponent:

USA


United States of America

USA


United States of America

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Apr 1, 2025):

A large number of measures have been taken since 2021 to combat all forms of antisemitism. A central coordination centre for the topic of anti-Semitism has been established at the Federal Chancellery and a national strategy against anti-Semitism has been published (National Strategy of the Republic of Austria to Prevent and
Combating all forms of antisemitism, 2021: https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/dam/jcr:8bd2975f-0483-4e74-abd9-d66446195d7c/antisemitismusstrategie.pdf ). Even though the position has now been downgraded to a department in the Policy Section, it still exists in principle. Two implementation reports are available (for 2021 and 2022). For the education sector, a strategy paper on the „Prevention of antisemitism through education“ was drawn up in 2022, which contains recommendations for the implementation of the National Strategy against Antisemitism for the Austrian education administration and teacher training institutions (Strategy paper, 2022: https://www.erinnern.at/themen/artikel/massnahmenpaket-praevention-von-antisemitismus-durch-bildung). These recommendations were discussed in September 2022 at the symposium on „Preventing antisemitism through education“. A working group was established to document antisemitic incidents with the aim of learning from the experiences of other organisations that already document racist, antisemitic, etc. incidents. The aim is to learn from the experiences of other organisations that already document racist, anti-Semitic, etc. incidents in order to set up an anti-Semitism documentation centre that meets current requirements.   Parliament also commissioned a study on anti-Semitism in Austria, which was presented in April 2023 (Study, 2023: https://www.parlament.gv.at/dokument/fachinfos/publikationen/Langbericht-Antisemitismus-2022-Oesterreichweite-Ergebnisse.pdf ). A large number of measures have been taken since 2021 to combat all forms of antisemitism. A central coordination centre for the topic of anti-Semitism has been set up at the Federal Chancellery and a national strategy against anti-Semitism has been published (see https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/dam/jcr:8bd2975f-0483-4e74-abd9-d66446195d7c/antisemitismusstrategie.pdf). Even though the position has now been downgraded to a department in the Policy Section, it still exists in principle.   There are two implementation reports (for 2021 and 2022). For the education sector, a strategy paper on the „Prevention of antisemitism through education“ was developed in 2022, which contains recommendations for the implementation of the National Strategy against Antisemitism for the Austrian education administration and teacher training institutions (see: https://oead.at/fileadmin/Dokumente/oead.at/KIM/Downloadcenter/OeAD_E.AT_Strategiepapier_FIN_01.pdf). These recommendations were discussed at the symposium on „Preventing antisemitism through education“ in September 2022. In 2022, the National Forum against Antisemitism was also established to pool knowledge, combat antisemitism and promote Jewish life in Austria. The body is made up of representatives from the federal government, the provinces, municipalities, social partners, academia, religious communities, Jewish museums and civil society.   A working group on the documentation of anti-Semitic incidents has been established with the aim of learning from the experiences of other organisations that already document racist, anti-Semitic, etc. incidents. The aim is to learn from the experiences of other organisations already documenting racist, anti-Semitic, etc. incidents in order to set up an anti-Semitism documentation centre that meets current requirements.   Parliament also commissioned a study on anti-Semitism in Austria, which was presented in April 2023 (see https://www.parlament.gv.at/dokument/fachinfos/publikationen/Langbericht-Antisemitismus-2022-Oesterreichweite-Ergebnisse.pdf).   As part of the Government Plan 2025-2029, the federal government is pursuing this goal through close cooperation with all stakeholders (see Government Plan 2ß025-2029: https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/bundeskanzleramt/die-bundesregierung/regierungsdokumente.html).There are currently no specific programmes or legal regulations in Austria that focus exclusively on the topic of religious tolerance. However, this does not mean that religious tolerance is not important in society. In general, it is strengthened by various general anti-discrimination measures and the promotion of diversity and inclusion. 

Progress: In progress

Continue to promote measures in combating racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance

Proponent:

Barbados


Barbados

Barbados


Barbados

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Apr 1, 2025):

Racism remains a serious social problem in Austria. The latest report by SOS Mitmensch and other studies show that racist discrimination and hate crimes are on the rise. Anti-Muslim racism in particular has increased in recent years, partly fuelled by political rhetoric and campaigns targeting Muslim communities. Anti-Muslim hate crimes are common and are often supported by certain political groups. In 2023, the Documentation Centre on Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Racism recorded a total of 1522 racist attacks against Muslims and people perceived to be Muslim. Compared to the previous year, 263 more cases were reported to us offline, which represents an increase of over 100 per cent of active case reports. The report shows a striking increase in case reports from the education sector. See report: here).
Austria has various laws in place to combat racism, including the Prohibition Act and the Equal Treatment Act. However, these legal frameworks are not always applied consistently, leading to calls for stronger policy measures and more rigorous enforcement of existing laws. Education and awareness-raising measures are also crucial to raise awareness of racial discrimination in the population and bring about long-term change (see SOS-Mitmensch report: https://www.sosmitmensch.at/site/momagazin/alleausgaben/7/article/395.html&ts=1720702499859).
ZARA’s report for the year 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the extent and various forms of racism in Austria. A total of 1302 reports were documented and processed, almost 60% of which concerned online racism. This underlines the importance of digital platforms as a place for racist incidents, which can often be documented and reported using simple screenshots. The public sphere and the goods/services sector were particularly affected, with 58.2% and 15.9% of reports respectively. State authorities and institutions were involved in 11% of cases, while racist incidents in the police were only formally complained about in 4 out of 58 cases. In most of the other cases, those affected sought support from ZARA through counselling sessions and legal advice. A significant number (almost 78%) of reports came from witnesses, while 22% were submitted by those directly affected. The report also criticises the lack of implementation of a National Action Plan against Racism in Austria, although the need for structural change and combating institutional racism is obvious. There are still challenges in dealing with racism in Austria and the need for social support and structural changes to effectively address these issues (see Racism Report 2023, March 2024 edition: https://assets.zara.or.at/media/rassismusreport/ZARA_RassismusReport_2023_DE.pdf).  As part of the Government Plan 2025-2029, the federal government is pursuing this goal through close cooperation with all stakeholders (see Government Plan 2ß025-2029: https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/bundeskanzleramt/die-bundesregierung/regierungsdokumente.html).It should be noted that in Austria, both the development and implementation of measures to combat discrimination have been driven forward in close cooperation with various civil society organisations. However, it must be noted that the public discourse often focuses on so-called „immigrant anti-Semitism“ and thus accuses people with migration experience from Turkey and Arabic-speaking countries in particular of anti-Semitism across the board. However, there is a lack of clear responsibility at federal level to combat anti-Black racism, anti-Muslim racism and racism in general. Few concrete measures have been taken so far. There is a lack of targeted awareness-raising measures that address discrimination against people with disabilities and limited abilities as well as aspects of self-empowerment and human rights. In 2023, the Ombud for Equal Treatment reported an increase in discrimination complaints, which indicates a greater sensitisation of the population. A recent update on xenophobia in Austria shows that the issue remains highly relevant to society. New studies and surveys confirm that xenophobia remains a significant issue, although exact figures and trends may vary depending on the source and methodology. One of the more recent studies, conducted by institutions such as the University of Vienna or SORA (Institute for Social Research and Empirical Methods), shows that a significant proportion of the Austrian population remains sceptical about immigration and foreigners. These attitudes manifest themselves in the rejection of cultural diversity, different religious practices and the perception of economic effects on jobs and social security. In addition to traditional forms of xenophobia as measured in the past, new forms of xenophobia often manifest themselves in the form of online hate speech and on social media. These platforms can act as a catalyst for negative attitudes and actions towards foreigners. Political debates and events, both within Austria and internationally, often influence public perceptions and attitudes towards migrants and foreigners. For example, immigration policy issues and security concerns related to refugee flows have continued to fuel debate and possibly changes in attitudes in recent years. Overall, xenophobia in Austria remains a complex and highly debated issue that continues to shape political, social and cultural dynamics and poses challenges for integration and social coexistence. 

Progress: In progress

Strengthen its ongoing work and take effective measures to combat discrimination, intolerance, racism and xenophobia

Proponent:

Nicaragua


Republic of Nicaragua

Nicaragua


Republic of Nicaragua

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

The 2020 EU Action Plan against Racism calls on the member states to draw up National Action Plans against Racism by the end of 2022. In Austria, the Federal Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media in the Federal Chancellery is responsible for drawing up the National Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination. This National Action Plan is also anchored in the current government programme (EU Action Plan against Racism 2020: https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/library-document/union-equality-eu-anti-racism-action-plan-2020-2025_en). Austria has also referred to the planned National Action Plan against Racism in various other recommendations regarding the implementation and promotion of measures to combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. This shows its particular importance. Contrary to this assurance and contrary to the agreement in the last government programme, no national action plan to combat racism was adopted and no significant other programmes in the area of anti-racism work were implemented, with the exception of the area of anti-Semitism.  

Progress: In progress

Scale up efforts in combatting racism, racial discrimination and hate crimes

Proponent:

Nigeria


Federal Republic of Nigeria

Nigeria


Federal Republic of Nigeria

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Apr 1, 2025):

The 2020 EU Action Plan against Racism calls on the member states to draw up National Action Plans against Racism by the end of 2022. In Austria, the Federal Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media in the Federal Chancellery is responsible for drawing up the National Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination. This National Action Plan is also anchored in the current government programme (EU Action Plan against Racism 2020: https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/library-document/union-equality-eu-anti-racism-action-plan-2020-2025_en). Austria has also referred to the planned National Action Plan against Racism in various other recommendations regarding the implementation and promotion of measures to combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. This shows its particular importance. Contrary to this assurance and contrary to the agreement in the last government programme, no national action plan to combat racism was adopted and no significant other programmes in the area of anti-racism work were implemented, with the exception of the area of anti-Semitism.  Racism remains a serious social problem in Austria. The latest report by SOS Mitmensch and other studies show that racist discrimination and hate crimes are on the rise. Anti-Muslim racism in particular has increased in recent years, partly fuelled by political rhetoric and campaigns targeting Muslim communities. Anti-Muslim hate crimes are common and are often supported by certain political groups. In 2023, the Documentation Centre on Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Racism recorded a total of 1522 racist attacks against Muslims and people perceived to be Muslim. Compared to the previous year, 263 more cases were reported to us offline, which represents an increase of over 100 per cent of active case reports. The report shows a striking increase in case reports from the education sector. See report: here).
Austria has various laws in place to combat racism, including the Prohibition Act and the Equal Treatment Act. However, these legal frameworks are not always applied consistently, leading to calls for stronger policy measures and more rigorous enforcement of existing laws. Education and awareness-raising measures are also crucial to raise awareness of racial discrimination in the population and bring about long-term change (see SOS-Mitmensch report: https://www.sosmitmensch.at/site/momagazin/alleausgaben/7/article/395.html&ts=1720702499859).
ZARA’s report for the year 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the extent and various forms of racism in Austria. A total of 1302 reports were documented and processed, almost 60% of which concerned online racism. This underlines the importance of digital platforms as a place for racist incidents, which can often be documented and reported using simple screenshots. The public sphere and the goods/services sector were particularly affected, with 58.2% and 15.9% of reports respectively. State authorities and institutions were involved in 11% of cases, while racist incidents in the police were only formally complained about in 4 out of 58 cases. In most of the other cases, those affected sought support from ZARA through counselling sessions and legal advice. A significant number (almost 78%) of reports came from witnesses, while 22% were submitted by those directly affected. The report also criticises the lack of implementation of a National Action Plan against Racism in Austria, although the need for structural change and combating institutional racism is obvious. There are still challenges in dealing with racism in Austria and the need for social support and structural changes to effectively address these issues (see Racism Report 2023, March 2024 edition: https://assets.zara.or.at/media/rassismusreport/ZARA_RassismusReport_2023_DE.pdf).  As part of the Government Plan 2025-2029, the federal government is pursuing this goal through close cooperation with all stakeholders (see Government Plan 2ß025-2029: https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/bundeskanzleramt/die-bundesregierung/regierungsdokumente.html).The Federal Ministry of the Interior has published the situation report „Hate Crime 2022“ (see Hate Crime 2022 Report: The core results, p.10: https://www.bmi.gv.at/bmi_documents/3042.pdf). It shows an increase in offences motivated by prejudice, with 5,865 cases reported. These offences mainly concern ideology, national/ethnic origin and religion. One third of the offences reported were violations of the Prohibition Act. Interior Minister Karner emphasised the importance of prevention, especially among young people, in order to recognise and combat extremist tendencies at an early stage. Measures to sensitise and train the police have been intensified. On a positive note, it should be emphasised that the Federal Ministry of the Interior has integrated the systematic recording of prejudiced motives in intentional criminal offences into police work as part of an EU project. For this purpose, the category „Hate crime“ was introduced in the police logging programme (PAD) as a separate „Motive“ tab with the title „Prejudice motives (hate crime) according to victim groups“. The recorded data is transmitted to the justice system via a separate interface: Electronic Legal Transactions (ERV) and subjected to quality assurance by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In 2022, the Report of the Federal Ministry of the Interior on „Hate Crime“ in Austria – Annual Report 2021 was published for the first time. In the period from January to December 2021, 5,464 offences motivated by prejudice were recorded by the police (Report of the Federal Ministry of the Interior on „Hate Crime“ in Austria 2021: here). With the systematic recording of hate crimes motivated by prejudice and the publication of statistics on hate crimes recorded by the police, a first important step has been taken to make hate crimes visible. It is important to observe the extent to which the views of the police and victim protection organisations or community organisations agree on whether an incident should be classified as a hate crime or not. These observations are an important basis for the reliability of the statistics on hate crimes that are now being collected. ECRI has also emphasised that politicians should take a firm stance against racist hate speech and that political parties should introduce codes of conduct that prohibit the use of hate speech. So far, these recommendations have gone unheeded.   As part of a European mapping project on hate crimes, work is being done on a victim-centred referral system for affected people. In Austria, ZARA is working on this project together with CEJI. Other civil society organisations, the Ombud for Equal Treatment, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry of Justice are also involved (project homepage: http://scan-project.eu/). Further measures are needed to create a victim-centred, easily accessible referral system for people affected by hate crimes that protects them from (re)traumatisation and re-victimisation. In particular, the police, social workers, teachers, the judiciary, etc. must be further sensitised in order to quickly recognise hate crimes and refer those affected to the right places. Such a referral system should make it easier for those affected by hate crimes to gain access to support and criminal prosecution of the perpetrators. The publication of data by the judiciary is important in order to gain an insight into how many of the reported hate crimes are followed up and what can be learned from them for prevention measures (a detailed catalogue of recommendations is available at: https://standup-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/A4_policy_brief_standUP_DE.pdf). According to the ZARA Racism Report 2023, people with migration experience, especially from African or Asian countries, are disproportionately affected by discrimination. This discrimination manifests itself in various areas of life, including the labour market, education and access to public services (see ZARA Report 2023: https://assets.zara.or.at/media/rassismusreport/ZARA_RassismusReport_2023_DE.pdf). The ECRI report by the Ombud for Equal Treatment emphasises that despite progress in the legal framework to combat discrimination, practical implementation is often inadequate. To meet these challenges, comprehensive measures are needed to promote equal treatment and combat racism. This includes both political initiatives and social efforts to raise awareness and education. 

Progress: Deterioration

Refrain from polarizing populist campaigns against migrant communities and take a firm public stance against racist speeches

Proponent:

Turkey


Republic of Turkey

Turkey


Republic of Turkey

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

The international activities of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) and the organisations charged with this task, erinnern.at and OeAD, all aim to support teachers and learners in the field of human rights education. However, there is no further information on specific projects from Austria. Although the World Programme for Human Rights Education was launched by the United Nations in December 2004, various measures to promote human rights education are being implemented in Austria. Although progress in human rights education is recognisable, it should be noted that there is still a considerable need for action. 

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