Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) forms part of Austrian foreign policy. Its strategic alignment thus falls under the purview of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (MFA).

Conferral and positioning

In dialogue with the partner countries and the Austrian Development Agency, the Operational Unit of the ADC, the Foreign Ministry frames programmes and sets out Austrian development-policy positions in the Three-Year Programme. This comprises the essentials of Austrian development policy based on international commitments and the Federal Development Cooperation Act.

In cooperation with the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the MFA drafts policy papers as well as sectoral and country strategies to chart the course of Austrian Development Cooperation.

International dialogue

The MFA directs dialogue with the ADC partner countries and is engaged in all the competent bodies (EU, UN, OECD) for international donor coordination to facilitate harmonised and concerted bilateral and multilateral programmes. It is also in charge of coordinating development policy in Austria.
Besides development policy, Section VII, which is responsible for development cooperation in the Foreign Ministry, is also concerned with implementing development assistance measures. Multilateral development cooperation in the United Nations, the organisations of the United Nations Development Group and in the EU is entrusted to Department VII.1.