NGO involvement In recognition of the fact that NGOs play an important role in this evaluation process, following a 2009 kick-off event the AOB organised four further meetings of representatives from civil society in the run-up to the UPR. The goal was to provide networking opportunities and an additional platform for NGOs’ involvement in the UPR. Commentary on the draft version of the UPR country report for Austria In August 2010, the AOB provided commentary on the draft version of the UPR national report for Austria. In the commentary, attention was drawn to various key issues for upholding human rights efficiently. In particular, it was pointed out that there is still no national human rights action plan for Austria, nor any clearly delineated responsibilities or implementation plans, and there has been no evaluation of the status quo. It was also noted that there is still much work to be done in raising awareness about democracy, multiculturalism and peaceful conflict-resolution particularly among children and young people. So far, education about human rights is not taught as a standalone, mandatory school subject. The commentary drew attention to repeated cases of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants from non-EU countries suffering racist and xenophobic abuse, inter alia from politicians and in media reports. The commentary also called for more concerted action to combat discrimination, racism and xenophobia. In addition, it asserted that since education is a marker of social status and plays a role in integration, and since language ability heavily influences educational and career success, it will be important to provide support for language acquisition in the preschool years to ensure equal opportunities. AOB stakeholder report As the Austrian NHRI (national human rights institution) accredited with B-status by the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC), the AOB was invited by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to prepare a stakeholder report. This report was based on AOB activities in the area of fundamental rights, particularly in such fields as anti-discrimination, minorities’ rights and prohibition of torture. The OHCHR subsequently prepared a summary of statements from Austria, used by members of the UN Human Rights Council as an information source and basis for debate. Encouragingly, this summary referred extensively to the AOB’s statements, e.g. its appendix contained inter alia excerpts from the AOB annual report, in particular the parts about fundamental rights, as illustrations of human rights problems. 20