European Economic
and Social Committee
Austria
National Strategy / Action Plan
There is no National Strategy / Action Plan in Austria
CSO platform(s)
Lead Government Body
national ESC(s)
SD council or equivalent
Performance
There is no Performance in Austria
Summary
- Active Sustainable Development Council ("FORUM") in charge of implementing the national Sustainable Development strategy;
- No official advisory role for the nESC and Sustainable Development Council to the inter-ministerial working group Agenda 2030 and no mandate in implementation, monitoring and review. Federal ministries are instructed to engage civil society organisations on individual SDGs using existing advisory bodies and consultation mechanisms, but the process is under review as the new government takes power;
- High level of civil society organisations activity on Agenda 2030, as both a national Global Compact and SDG Compact regularly agitate for structured engagement.
Description of the initiative
Actors
Actors
and the Inter-ministerial working group on SDG implementation (led by PM & MFA)
and the Inter-ministerial working group on SDG implementation (led by PM & MFA)
Institutional framework
Institutional framework
- All ministries are mandated to mainstream the Agenda 2030 goals (Ministerial Council decision 86/11 of 12 January 2016) in their relevant strategies and programmes, and if necessary to prepare action plans and measures and to involve other governmental institutions at federal, Bundesländer, municipal and communal level, as well as social partners, civil society and scientific organisations.
- The Federal Chancellery coordinates Agenda 2030, which was transposed into national regulation January 2016 with a dedicated SDG unit in charge.
- Strategic planning is a shared competency between the federation and states and the 2010 Sustainable Development strategy was adopted jointly.
- The federal Sustainable Development strategy establishing the Sustainable Development Council was adopted in 2002, but has not been updated since.
- Ministerial Council decision 86/11 (12 January 2016) transposes Agenda 2030 into national regulation and instructs all Federal Ministries to mainstream Agenda 2030 coherently.
- Agenda 2030 is mainstreamed by individual Federal Ministries, which align national policy frameworks with SDGs at sectoral level (described as an "SDG lens").
- The publication "Contributions of Federal Ministries to implement Agenda 2030 through Austria" documents the existing implementation of Agenda 2030. It was published in March 2017 by the Federal Chancellery:
- Line ministries & agencies with their action plans & measures;
- Inter-ministerial working groups;
- All government institutions to increase Agenda2030 visibility on web portals;
- Lists strategic priorities by individual SDG.
- The Austrian platform for monitoring the implementation of Europe 2020, under the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, includes a headline target for combating poverty and social exclusion;
- The Austrian Ministry of Health and Women's Affairs has set specific health targets;
- The Three-Year Programme on Austrian Development Policy 2019-2021 by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs;
- Web-based Performance Management Monitoring & Evaluation Tool (eWO) by the Federal Chancellery.
Recent activities
- The Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism (FMST) published a 1st progress report on SDG 09/2017 , evaluating the FMST's sectoral competency and relevant activities already in progress;
- The response to Parliamentary question 13863/J highlights the development of the EU's SDG policy & implementation plan as a priority of the Austrian presidency in 2018.
Role of civil society
Role of civil society
- Individual federal ministries are responsible for civil society organisations' engagement per SDG;
- Existing stakeholder engagement groups (e.g. specific EU2020 advisory bodies) will be leveraged to align national policy frameworks with Agenda 2030;
- The Government is considering establishing a new "scientific SDG advisory board"
- The Austrian Business Council for Sustainable Development (ABCSD) merged with the respACT Platform for corporate social responsibility (CSR) on Sustainable Development
- Austrian Centre for Sustainability also focuses on CSR in relation to Sustainable Development .
- BAOBAB – Global Learning has created a brochure for youth work and further education on the 17 goals for a better world.
- Global Compact Austria is the local network of the UN Global Compact. It acts as a point of contact for issues relating the SDGs, and as a platform for learning and dialogue. It is open to businesses, CSOs and public institutions. The Global Compact Austria is coordinated by respACT – Austrian business council for sustainable development.
- NHK-K is an expert working group on Sustainable Development . It is active on common policy consultation both at regional and national level. It works in close cooperation with local and national authorities and is part of the ÖSTRAT-Steering Group.
- FORUM Umweltbildung (Environmental education FORUM for Sustainable Development) offers educational support via publications, websites, events like conferences and workshops, innovative flagship projects, educational networks, educational funds and personal contact.
- SDG Watch Austria is a network of 110+ Civil Society Organisations established on 27 September 2017 to raise the profile of Agenda 2030 nationally, agitate for coherent & effective implementation, share best practice, coordinate campaigns and cooperate internationally. Their 01/2017 joint position paper, signed by 144 organizations, builds on an initial 12/2015 policy note.
SD council or equivalent
SD council or equivalent
- FORUM was originally established in 2002 by the Austrian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, replacing the previous Austrian Council for Sustainable Development, ‘ÖRNE’, created in 1997 and responsible for Austria’s sustainable development strategy (NSTRAT).
- FORUM was re-launched in 2010, following the adoption of a renewed National Strategy (ÖSTRAT).
FORUM supports and monitors the drafting and implementation of the ÖSTRAT (Austria’s Sustainable Development Strategy) as a critical advisor/counsellor to the authorities in charge (BKA and BMLFUW). FORUM works at national level to "identify unsustainable societal trends […] in order to enforce proactive agenda setting" and at international level to promote Sustainable Development policies within Europe and the global community.
FORUM has 43 council members from a range of private/NGO/research institutions appointed by the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. There is no fixed term of appointment.
t consists of:
- A Steering Group of 8 members, the chairperson and office staff are elected for a two-year term. Its decisions are taken by qualified majority voting.
- An "Expert Pool" from the scientific community and key NGOs, participating in working groups, consultative work and promoting the council. Working groups often include members of the Austrian Committee for Sustainable Development (the second advisory board to the ÖSTRAT, comprising high-level representatives of the Federal Ministries, the states and the "Socio-Economic Partnership")
- Provides expertise and knowledge to authorities and social partners; media, multipliers and the public;
- Monitors and holds the government to account, including through requests for public dialogue; and
- Identifies and prepares material for public debate.
- "Thought lines" ("Thoughts on the time we live in"): short papers broaching new (sustainability) topics and triggering discussions;
- Target groups: specialist circles, policy makers;
- Reflection space: basic position papers or theme-related events;
- Transfer space: hosting discussions on sustainability issues, sometimes top-level talks with a responsible minister or initiatives taken by members of the Committee for Sustainable Development .
National Economic & Social Councils
National Economic & Social Council
- Founded in 1945 by the Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Labour of Vienna;
- In 1963, the BWS - Advisory Council for Economic and Social Affairs, was founded within the institution "Sozialpartner", to ensure a broader basis for shaping Austrian economic policy. The BWS is not based on any piece of legislation but, as with the overall system for organising the social partners in Austria, it is based on a voluntary, informal approach. The Council issues studies and reports on economic and social policy issues containing joint - therefore unanimous - recommendations from these four bodies, addressed to the federal government and the other economic and social policymakers.
The main areas of social partnership policy-making include:
- legislation (the right to review bills, to make proposals in legislative bodies and to draft bills);
- administration (involvement in numerous advisory councils and committees, such as those concerned with apprenticeships, control of working conditions, the issuing of certificates of origin, competition policy and cartels, etc.);
- jurisdiction (proposals for the appointment of lay judges to labour and social tribunals);
- social policy (sending representatives to pension, health and accident insurance companies, which are organized as public-law self-governing bodies).
The chairmanship of the Advisory Council rotates every six months between the four represented social partner associations.
The Board meets once a month for a meeting that takes place on the premises of the organization currently hosting the Chair. These meetings are confidential and not public.
The Austrian ESC has no specific mandate with regards to Agenda 2030.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Monitoring & Evaluation
Sustainable Development Report Dashboard 2019 (SDSN, BertelsmannStiftung)
Austria ranks 5th in the SDG global ranking of 2019.
Statistik Austria published a first national SDG indicator set in December 2017, which was developed in line with Eurostat & Inter-agency Expert Group-SDG guidelines and covers 81% of targets. Unclear how civil society organisations were engaged in developing these.
Provisionally scheduled for 2020, following the Austrian presidency of EU Council in II/2018 and in accordance with responses by the PM & Finance Minister to the 01/2017 SDG Watch Austrian position paper.