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For several years, the value of ‘cultural heritage’ has been understood in a broader concept, including the preservation of historical monuments and the protection of cultural heritage. The Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro 2005) of the Council of Europe is based upon this broader definition. The Faro Convention was signed and ratified by Austria and implemented in 2015. The convention extends the concept of culture in relation to other conventions, underlines the responsibility of each state for its cultural heritage, emphasises the close connection between cultural heritage and sustainable development and stresses the value... read more →

Platform Baukultur, the Austrian initiative for architectural policy and building culture fosters architectural policies in Austria. Since 2006, it has been presenting the Report on Austrian Building Culture – on the basis of a parliamentary resolution – every five years. The report contains several recommendations in the fields of public awareness, production, economy, sustainability and more. The third Austrian Building Culture Report (2017) concerns itself with scenarios and strategies for the future up to 2050 and creates – from three perspectives: global, integral and national – three scenarios on the issues of 'Landscape as a resource', 'Cities and regions', 'Housing'... read more →

Sustainability has become a subject of (political) discussion in Austria in the context of cultural policy with the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005 to 2014 and the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the contribution of art and culture is a cross-cutting issue. At the national level, in its mission statement of the federal finance act, the Ministry of Finance has defined the general conditions for the creation and communication of art and culture. The main objectives defined there are the sustainable anchoring of contemporary art in society, the... read more →

Art and culture are recognised as essential factors for the high quality of life in Austrian society. The Art Promotion Act states that art makes a contribution to improving the quality of life and the mission statement for the current Federal Budget 2020 states that art and culture are important elements of social cohesion and that artistic positions on issues of our time are important contributions to the diagnosis of social challenges. The importance is emphasized to safeguarding the cultural heritage and state cultural institutions and ensuring broad public access to art and cultural assets and the development of an... read more →

Austria has no cohesive programmes at national level linking social inclusion and culture. In particular, people with migrant background and people facing poverty are threatened by cultural or social exclusion. The Law on the Rights of Indigenous Ethnic Minorities in Austria (1976), the Volksgruppengesetz (Ethnic Groups Act), significantly curtailed the rights granted in Article °7 of the 1955 State Treaty. Six groups are recognised as ethnic minorities in different parts of Austria: Slovenes (in Carinthia and Styria, ca. 25 000), the Croats (in Burgenland, ca. 20 000), the Hungarians (in Burgenland and Vienna, ca. 40 000), the Czechs (20 000) and Slovaks (10 000, both... read more →

In Austria, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in force since 26 October 2008. It must be taken into account in legislation and enforcement (administration and jurisdiction). According to a microcensus survey conducted by STATISTIK AUSTRIA on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2015, 18.4% of the population in Austria aged 15 and over have a permanent disability. That is a projected approximately 1.3 million people. At federal level, the Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection is responsible for coordinating disability issues. However, many areas that are important for... read more →

Austria has committed itself politically and legally to implementing the strategy of gender mainstreaming. Since 2009, gender budgeting has been anchored in the Austrian constitution and must be implemented in all departments. The government's arts and cultural supports have been constituted according to gender-budgeting criteria since 2007. Within administrative bodies, the former "equality officers" – civil servants responsible for gender-fairness issues – have been changed to "gender-mainstreaming officers". The policy of gender-mainstreaming is concerned with the reform of policy-processes rather than with a single gender-equality employment policy. The income gap between women and men is still high in Austria (on... read more →

German is the main language spoken in Austria. Minority languages covered by the Volksgruppengesetz (Ethnic Groups Act) are Croatian and Hungarian (found mostly in Burgenland) and Slovene (found mostly in Carinthia). In Burgenland, the language of instruction in a school depends on the number of pupils and students in that school speaking a second language. Hungarian language instruction at the elementary level is provided for the Hungarian minority in Burgenland. For the largest ethnic minority in Austria, the Carinthian Slovenes, secondary education is provided in Slovene; a so-called "minority education right".

Since the break up of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) monopoly in 1993, the Austrian media scene operates in three categories: a public broadcasting and print media sector (ORF, gazettes);a private, profit-making sector (private radio, TV and publishing); anda non-profit media sector (free radio, print media for culture etc.). The Österreichische Rundfunk (ORF) is a statutory public institution and the largest media provider in Austria. It operates with one provincial studio in each province and since 1975 with a studio in Bolzano / Bozen (South Tyrol). The ORF produces four television channels and three national and nine regional radio channels.... read more →

The educational principles, including diversity education, are administered by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Since 1992, intercultural learning has been anchored in the curricula of the various types of schools, both as a teaching principle and as a general educational objective. Alongside learning about other cultures, the objectives are the promotion of tolerance and the understanding and respect for cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity, the critical analysis of ethno- and Euro-centrism, prejudice, racism and the strengthening of linguistic, cultural and ethnic identity. Beyond this, bilingualism and multilingualism are to be judged positively; children's knowledge in their mother... read more →