Press Release: Austria joins EU Children of Peace initiative

It was announced on the 22 July 2014 that Austria is joining the European Union Children of Peace initiative, becoming the second Member State to contribute to the EU's efforts to fund humanitarian projects which help children in conflict zones to gain access to education. Luxembourg joined in 2013. The initiative is the lasting legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to the EU in 2012.

Austria's €250 000 contribution will support EU Children of Peace projects that provide children with access to education, psycho-social support, and safe and child-friendly spaces where they can learn, play, grow in an environment where they remain protected from the traumatic consequences of conflict, including the threat of recruitment as child soldiers and being forced into early marriages.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection http://ec.europa.eu/echo/

ESO: Background information: The EU Children of Peace projects: how the European Union keeps bringing peace closer to those who need it the most http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-the-eu-children-of-peace-projects-how-the-european-union-keeps-bringing-peace-closer-to-those-who-need-it-the-most/

ESO: Background information: Luxembourg joins EU Children of Peace initiative http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-luxembourg-joins-eu-children-of-peace-initiative/

ESO: Background information: EU Children of Peace: a lasting legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize supporting thousands of children worldwide http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-eu-children-of-peace-a-lasting-legacy-of-the-nobel-peace-prize-supporting-thousands-of-children-worldwide/

---