Austrian Peace Service

The Austrian Peace Service is the smallest of the three sectors of the Austrian Service Abroad.

The Austrian Peace Service is one of the three sections of the Non-Profit-Organisation Austrian Service Abroad and offers a twelve-month long alternative to the nine-month long orderly civilian service.

General
The service can be provided in five accepted partner organizations, which are in China, Israel, Japan or the Netherlands (stand 2010). Goal is to spend a year in those countries and understand the enormous complexity of the conflicts and to make a little contribution to the lasting assurance of peace

Partner organizations
The partner organizations are in former places of war crime and armed conflicts, which are in contrast to the Holocaust Memorial Service which are directly linked to the Holocaust. In the bracket is the year of recognition of the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

 People's Republic of China Israel Japan Netherlands
 * Nanjing - John-Rabe-Haus (2008)
 * Jerusalem - Alternative Information Center (1999)
 * Jerusalem - LAW (2001)
 * Hiroshima - Friedensmuseum Hiroshima (HPCF) (2002)
 * Amsterdam - UNITED for Intercultural Action (2002 - 2010)

Main Focus Asia
In 2006 the first Austrian peace servant had his activities in Hiroshima. In Nanjing in China the Peace Service partner organization exists since 2008, it is in the John-Rabe-house, which refurbishes the Massacre of Nanjing 1937. This swamped out event still puts a strain on the Sino- Japanese relations and in 2005 it was a crucial factor for wide protests in Peking and other cities. The Japanese history textbook controversies led to movements in China against Japanese history falsification in schoolbooks. For this reason, the John Rabe Communication Centre built by Thomas Rabe and the Austrian Peace Service founded the John Rabe Award in 2009.