ABSTRACT
Political, economic and social developments on the international scene during the past two decades have had a significant impact on Austria's development co-operation policy. These effects cannot always be related directly to specific events but may be interpreted as necessary reactions or gradual adaptations to the international mainstream in the development debate. The various institutions of the international donor community (UN, OECD, EU, etc.) - and Austria as a member of them - have responded to political and economic changes with world summits (for example, Rio, Copenhagen, Beijing, Vienna, Monterrey) and new concepts.
