Austria’s largest conference centre is turning pink to make a statement about creating a violence-free environment for girls
From 11-12 October the facade of the Austria Center Vienna will be bathed in pink once again. For the second time in a row it will be marking the International Day of the Girl Child, which was introduced by the UN in 2011 to raise awareness of girls’ rights. Today’s girls are tomorrow’s scientists.
In her capacity as IAKW-AG managing director, Susanne Baumann-Söllner is responsible for operating the Austria Center Vienna as well as the maintenance of the Vienna International Centre – one of four official UN Headquarters. “As the people responsible for the Vienna International Centre we have extremely close ties to the organisations based there and want to show our support for this campaign, which is based on a UN resolution. By participating in this campaign we are making a clear statement in favour of the creation of an enriching and violence-free environment for all young women worldwide, so that they can develop as human beings according to their strengths and interests,” she explained
“In a company with such strong female representation, it goes without saying that we chose to get involved in this international campaign. Measures like this also reflect our company philosophy. As a publicly-owned company we are very aware of our social responsibilities and obligations to society at large,” she continued “and that means supporting environmental, economic and social initiatives. The latter is realised by a strong focus on our employees.”
A strong sense of corporate social responsibility
“I know from my own experience just how important equal opportunities and a positive working environment can be. And we want to offer our employees precisely that. We have initiated various measures aimed at promoting a better work-life balance,” Baumann Söllner confirmed.
In 2015 IAKW-AG participated in various initiatives including the berufundfamilie work and family audit and was awarded family-friendly company status. At the nation’s largest conference centre, the focus is equally on childcare requirements and the need to provide care for other family members. “It is vital that we maintain a mutually respectful and transparent corporate culture, offer the same opportunities to employees of all ages and genders and actively promote staff development. This is the only way that we can fully incorporate the notion of respect for the individual, as promoted by projects like the International Day of the Girl Child, into our day to day lives,” she concluded.
