Who we are

Blue Shield Austria is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and one of the National Committees of the Blue Shield who are coordinated by Blue Shield International.

The Blue Shield, often referred to as the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross, was formed in response to the growing recognition of the extent of heritage damage during armed conflict, and the changes in international law designed to prevent it. Today it works globally to protect cultural heritage in emergency situations.

Our Primary Context

The blue shield cultural emblem is a protective symbol used during armed conflicts. Its use is restricted under international law. You can download Guidance for its use (in English) on the Blue Shield International website.

Our primary context is the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999, which are considered to be part of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). IHL, also known as the Law of War or Law of Armed Conflict, is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict on people and property. This primary context is also informed by a number of other international legal instruments, by the international cultural protection agenda as set by the UN and UNESCO, and by international initiatives regarding environmental disaster such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Although the 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols refer to cultural property, recognising the developments in our understanding of culture across the world, and the different ways it manifests, the Blue Shield deals with the broader concept of cultural heritage. Austria has signed the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999, and these form the foundation of our work.

The Blue Shield’s logo takes up the emblem of the Convention as a symbol of its protective work, distinguished by a circular blue background to indicate the wider remit of our work. Today, as the devastation wrought by conflicts and disasters across the world is brought vividly home to us in the news and on social media, that emblem can be found across the world, as people globally are working to protect heritage in disasters.

OUR STRUCTURE

The Blue Shield is composed of a number of national committees, coordinated by an International Board. The Austrian Committee, known as Blue Shield Austria, was officially recognized as a national committee in 2008.

Today, Blue Shield Austria consists of over 20 Austrian cultural heritage institutions, which are its institutional members, and is managed by a Board of 10 elected members: