Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

A Long Tradition of Assisting Refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees opened its representation in Vienna in 1951, the founding year of the United Nations refugee agency. UNHCR is therefore the longest serving UN organization in Austria. In 1979, the office moved to the new Vienna International Centre.

For many years, the UNHCR in Austria primarily offered material help for refugees. More recently, the main task was to provide legal protection for refugees and asylum seekers as well as public information. UNHCR monitors the implementation of the relevant asylum laws in Austria according to the Geneva Refugee Convention and makes suggestions on refugee related questions to the authorities. It also works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. Additionally, UNHCR in Vienna maintains close relations with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

UNHCR also raises awareness of the refugee situation through public information, the media, awareness campaigns, the interactive game www.LastExitFlucht.org (winning the State Prize Multimedia and E-Business) and the website www.unhcr.at. UNHCR intervenes directly only in difficult individual cases. It also provides training for government officials and refugee counsellors.

A history of helping

Austria has a long history of helping refugees fleeing from war, torture and persecution. Since 1945, more than two million refugees have come to Austria. Out of them, 700,000 have stayed. As a consequence of different crises, large numbers of refugees sought help in Austria in 1956, 1968, 1980 and in 1992.

In 1956/57 180,000 Hungarians fled to Austria, 160,000 Czechs and Slovaks found safety in Austria in 1968 after the Warsaw Pact troops marched into former Czechoslovakia. Most of the refugees returned to their home countries, some migrated further and some integrated in Austria. In 1980/81, martial law was declared in Poland. As a consequence, 33,000 refugees arrived in Austria. With the beginning of the war in former Yugoslavia, 13,000 refugees fled from Croatia to Austria in 1991/92. In 1992, the first of the 90,000 refugees started to come from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In spring 1999, when the conflict in Kosovo escalated, Austria accepted more than 5,000 refugees on a temporary basis. As soon as the armed conflict was over, the first return movements started.

Seeking protection

If someone comes to Austria and seeks protection, he or she has to apply for asylum. Afterwards, the authorities are responsible for examining whether there are reasons to reject the application or whether a third country is responsible for dealing with the asylum claim. First, the Austrian Federal Asylum Office verifies whether the asylum seeker is a refugee or not. A refugee, as defined in the Geneva Refugee Convention, is somebody who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country...". During the interview, the asylum seeker has to recount the story of his or her flight. Officials have to decide whether the person can be granted asylum or not. If the asylum application is rejected, asylum seekers can appeal at the Asylum Court, the second and last asylum instance in Austria.

These procedures often take years. During this time, asylum seekers have no work permit. Although the Supreme Court ruled that all asylum seekers who fulfil the conditions as set out in the respective law have the right to get federal care and maintenance, this is not always the case. Many asylum seekers therefore depend on the help of NGOs.

Facing today's challenges

In 2010, some 11,000 asylum applications were lodged in Austria, with 14,400 lodged in 2011.

Another issue UNHCR is very concerned about is the process of harmonizing asylum procedures in EU countries. The European Union has been working for several years on the harmonization of asylum procedures in its member States, but has not yet come to a common asylum system.

UNHCR fears that asylum seekers-including refugees may be sent to countries with insufficient guarantees for their effective protection and may be denied access to an asylum procedure.

At a global level, UNHCR will continue providing help for refugees by assisting in repatriating them to their home countries provided conditions are safe, by helping them to integrate in their countries of asylum or by enabling them to resettle in third countries. In 1956, Austria benefited from the resettlement of tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees to overseas countries.

For information contact:

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Vienna International Centre
PO Box 550, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-4048
Email: ausvi@unhcr.org
Website: www.unhcr.at