09:00 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
Welcome and Opening Key Note Speech
Welcome: Annelies Vilim, Director, Global Responsibility, Austrian Platform
for Development and Humanitarian Aid
Opening Keynote Speech: Volker Türk, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection,
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
 
09:15 – 10:45 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
(Failed) Policy-Making with Global Consequences
The global phenomenon of (forced) migration, particularly of people seeking refuge and protection, is
met by the Western world, including Austria, mainly with a policy of deterrence and the externalization of
borders aiming at keeping refugees out. This panel will discuss the manifold humanitarian and global
consequences of this policy, and will argue that this policy ignores the fundamental principles of humanitarian
assistance, namely that human suffering be addressed wherever it is found and that respect
for life, health, and human dignity must be safeguarded.
Moderator
Alistair Dutton, Director, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF)
Panel Members
Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Gerald Knaus, Founding Chairman, European Stability Initiative (ESI)
Ulrike Lunacek, Politician, Vice President of the European Parliament
Volker Türk, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR
 
10:45 – 11:00 Networking Break
 
11:00 – 12:30 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
Why Are People Forced to Flee?
At 65.3 million, the number of people driven from their homes by war, persecution, and natural disasters
has now surpassed even the number of those on the move in the aftermath of the Second World
War. This panel will examine the complexity and plurality of forced migration’s root causes as well as
l ocal and international communities’ responsibility and possibilities for sparking positive change.
Keynote Speech
Sara Pantuliano, Managing Director, Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Moderator
Ruth Picker, Consultant, Coach
Panel Members
Fatuma Musa Afrah, Activist, Consultant, Speaker
Mustafa Maalbawi, Physician, Syrian
Sara Pantuliano, Managing Director, Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Hernan del Valle, Head of Advocacy & Operational Communications, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
Operational Centre Amsterdam11:00 – 12:30 Small Ceremonial Chamber / Kleiner Festsaal
Refugee Health – Time for Change
Although dynamics of conflict and displacement have changed considerably over the past two decades,
medical humanitarian assistance has been guided by set principles based on medical humanitarian priorities,
which have hardly evolved over time. This static “one-size-fits-all” approach no longer responds
adequately to the dynamic reality of global refugee movements. In light of today’s complex refugee
situation, this panel will call for a major re-thinking of medical humanitarian aid that once again puts
human beings and their medical needs front and centre.
Keynote Speech
Tammam Aloudat, Deputy Medical Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Operational Centre Geneva
Moderator
Ursula Baatz, Journalist
Panel Members
Tammam Aloudat, Deputy Medical Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Operational Centre Geneva
Ann Burton, Chief of the Public Health Section, UNHCR
Zeina Hassan, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Regional Coordinator, Medecins du Monde (MdM)
Kanokporn Kaojaroen, Migration and Health Technical Officer, World Health Organization (WHO)

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Break

13:30 – 15:00 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
The Erosion of International Law – Who Cares?
Victimized by indiscriminate attacks on civilians that occur in contravention of international law, many find
themselves forced to flee their home countries, an undertaking which in itself entails considerable danger.
Simultaneously, displaced persons access to legal instruments of protection, particularly the human right
to seek asylum, is precarious at best. This panel will discuss non-compliance with international law, both in
countries of origin, en route and countries of destination, and its practical consequences for those seeking
protection from armed conflict and persecution.
Keynote Speech
Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR
Moderator
Manfred Nowak, Secretary General, EIUC, Professor of International Law and Human Rights,
University of Vienna
Panel Members
Zedoun Al-Zoubi, Manager, UOSSM Intertnational – Saving Lives in Syria
Vincent Bernard, Editor in Chief of the International Review of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OCHCR
Benjamin Ward, Deputy Director, Europe and Central Asia Division, Human Rights Watch

13:30 – 15:00 Small Ceremonial Chamber / Kleiner Festsaal
Civil Society and Refugees: Lessons Learned
Forced displacement has witnessed humanitarian tragedies aplenty, which might have been graver if
not for the pressure exerted by civil society and the action ta ken by it. Initially widely applauded for
their sheer humanity the situation has changed over the past ye ar. This panel seeks to explore the
opportunities and challenges inherent in grassroots initiatives.
Keynote Speech
Elias Bierdel, Author and Human Rights Activist
Moderator
Monika M. Kalcsics, Journalist
Panel Members
Elias Bierdel, Author and Human Rights Activist
Waltraud Heller, Programme Manager Civil Society Cooperation, European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights
Manuela Ertl, Train of Hope
Klaus Schwertner, Managing Director of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna

15:00 – 15:30 Networking Break

15:30 – 17:00 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
Leaving No One Behind – A Mission Impossible?
The aspiration to leave no one behind demands a more pro-active crises management in order to
ensure that all individuals receive protection and support adequate to their needs. This panel will
therefore discuss what steps need to be taken to institute a coordinated and comprehensive approach
to humanitarian assistance capable of meeting the different needs of various vulnerable groups.
Keynote Speech
Garry Conille, Under Secretary General for Programmes and Operations, International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societys (IFRC)
Moderator
Wieland Schneider, Journalist
Panel Members
Garry Conille, Under Secretary General for Programmes and Operations, IFRC
Mary Crock, Professor of Public Law, University of Sydney Law School
Sofía García García, Representative to the United Nations of SOS Children´s
Villages International
Ulrike Last, Disability-Inclusive Development Technical Advisor, Handicap International

15:30 – 17:00 Small Ceremonial Chamber / Kleiner Festsaal
The New EU-Libya Deal – A Reality Check
Bolstered by the consequences of the EU-Turkey deal which has s harply reduced crossings into
Greece, the EU has reiterated the need to close now the central Mediterranean route. While in
the Malta Declaration of February 3rd the EU reaffirms its deter mination to act in full respect of
human rights, international law, and European values, recent reports on the situation of displaced
persons in Libya portray a sharply different reality: arbitrary detention and unbearable
conditions in prison-like detention centres where ill-treatment or torture, unlawful killings, sexual
exploitation, and a plethora of other human rights abuses take place. The panel will explore
the consequences of the new EU-Libya Deal in that context. Will the EU – while executing the
new EU-Libya deal – walk the talk on European values and full r espect of human rights? Or is the
EU turning a blind eye to the dehumanised situation in Libya fo r the sake of protecting borders
and of keeping displaced people away from Europe?
Moderator
Hernan del Valle, Head of Advocacy & Operational Communications, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
Operational Centre Amsterdam
Panel Members
Marian Benbow Pfisterer, Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Country Office for Austria
Ulrike Lunacek, Politician, Vice President of the European Parliament
Manfred Nowak, Secretary General, EIUC, Professor of International Law and Human Rights,
University of Vienna

17:00 – 17:45 Main Ceremonial Chamber / Großer Festsaal
Summary of the Discussions and Closing Statement
Based on the presentations and the lively discussions of the topics this panel will seek to synthesise
the day’s proceedings and draw actionable conclusions relevant for the range of stakeholders
committed to bringing about the best possible results for humanity.
Moderator
Thomas Seifert, Journalist
Panel Members
Tammam Aloudat, Deputy Medical Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Operational Centre Geneva
Alistair Dutton, Director, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF)