The Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights (“Vienna Forum”) is a non-university research and training institute. In autumn 2020 the Vienna Forum emerged from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights – Research Association (BIM-FV) which itself was founded in 1996. The Vienna Forum is committed to the promotion and implementation of democratic principles, the rule of law and human rights at a national, European and international level.
The Vienna Forum focuses on practice-oriented academic research and teaching involving a wide range of disciplines. On the basis of scientific findings, concepts and recommendations are being developed for safeguarding and further advancement ofdemocracy, the rule of law and human rights. These concepts are being provided for discussion and implementation at a political level and are being diseminated in educational work. A special focus of the Vienna Forum is the promotion of young academics and students through ‘academic start-ups’ as well as the possibility of research stays within the framework of projects.
The 2021 research projects focus on current and future topics such as climate warming, poverty and inequality, asylum and migration, crisis management (such as the Covid 19 pandemic), and civil society participation in political and constitutional decision-making processes. An research-based preparation and support of strategic litigation in human rights issues and matters of the rule of law is also projected. Another main task of the Vienna Forum is educational work for different target groups. Thus, Zentrum polis – the Austrian Centre for Citizenship Education in Schools – runs numerous projects with a focus on curricular and extra-curricular citizenship education and human rights education. Finally, human rights issues will be put forward for discussion using artistic, and cultural means.