Sabine Mandl is a political scientist and works since ten years in the field of human rights with a focus on women’s rights. After establishing and managing the Center for Political Education polis, she concentrated herself on research and project development and implementation with a focus on political and economic participation of women, gender equality, domestic violence and the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 concerning “Women, Peace and Security”. She participated in the adaptation of the Austrian National Action Plan for the implementation of the UNSCR 1325. Since 2002 she is also lecturing at the University of Vienna on the topics human rights, women’s rights, politics and media. She published several scientific articles and studies on the above mentioned topics, e.g. on the role of women in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbajan. Since February 2013 she is managing the present Daphne III 2007-2013 project.

Claudia Sprenger holds a master degree in science of education and disability studies. She has a long standing experience as program and project manager in national and international aid agencies. Since five years she is working at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) with a focus on the implementation of the human rights based approach and rights of persons with disabilities in countries of the south and east. She has concluded several consultancy and monitoring services. Since March 2012 she is the coordinator of the three years framework contract with the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). Additionally she is a member of the ADA-working group on persons with disabilities and the working group disability and development of the AG Global Responsibility. Together with Sabine Mandl she is mainly involved in the development and implementation of the present Daphne III 2007-2013 project.

Julia Planitzer studied law at the University of Vienna and is working as a researcher at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) since 2008. She mainly researches on the implementation of the human rights based approach, women’s rights and on trafficking in human beings especially in Austria, Romania and Georgia. She is representing the BIM within the Austrian Task Force on Trafficking in Human Being and is consulting the Austrian Foreign Ministry on this topic. She was and is working as an international expert in various EU-Twinning Projects on Trafficking in Human beings and Gender Equality. She also published several scientific articles and studies.