SPECIAL FEATURE
OPEC Fund Quarterly : ADA is the Austrian Development Agency. You are mostly funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but not formally part of the ministry. What are the advantages and challenges of this type of set-up? Friedrich Stift: We are the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation, which means that we are responsible for putting into practice the strategies and overall goals of the government. The foreign ministry draws up the strategies and provides us with the bulk of our budget. ADA then implements these strategies in cooperation with other public institutions, civil society organizations as well as universities and the private sector. The benefits of this setup are evident: we have a clear division of labour which allows us to actively shape development cooperation and put the funds to the best possible use.
I continue to believe that international cooperation and solidarity have the potential to tackle the major tasks of our time.
Friedrich Stift, Austrian Development Agency, Managing Director
OFQ : Please tell us as a bit more about your work? FS: We have a total staff of over 300 – roughly two thirds are working abroad, mostly in our priority countries and regions, and the remainder is employed in Vienna. Our offices are mostly based in priority countries or regions of Austrian Development Cooperation and are part of the official Austrian representation network. We also have several project offices in countries where we implement projects for third-party donors such as the European Union – for example in Serbia, where we have rehabilitated the flood protection infrastructure. The number of projects and programmes we support varies from year to year. In 2022, we funded 558 initiatives. They are tailored to the conditions in the respective country or region and coordinated with local partners. Our local offices guarantee partnership-based work on the one hand and effective monitoring on the other. This way we make sure that our work achieves the desired results and that every euro is being used effectively and efficiently. The way we fund cooperations ranges from project funding and strategic partnerships to multilateral funds that we administrate together with other donors. We are active both in “traditional” long- term development cooperation and in short-term humanitarian aid. OFQ : Your three priorities are reducing poverty, promoting peace and protecting the environment. It seems that we are moving backwards on all three fronts. How are you addressing the current challenges?
FS: We live in uncertain times. The numerous challenges we are currently facing do not make it easy to remain optimistic. Nevertheless, we try. What alternative do we have? “Leave no one behind”, the leitmotif of the Sustainable Development Goals, remains the guiding principle of our work. I continue to believe that international cooperation and solidarity have the potential to tackle the major tasks of our time. OFQ : The UN SDG Summit in September in New York gave a devastating account of where the world stands on delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at halftime. What needs to be done? FS: Development cooperation alone will not be able to solve the multiple crises the international community is currently confronted with. We need to look closely at each challenge’s root causes. We need bold, increased financing and reach out to new partners. This way, we still may have a chance to achieve parts of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. OFQ : We have so far cooperated on one project, the South Africa Solar Thermal Training & Demonstration Initiative, in which the OPEC Fund provided two grants. What are the outcomes of that project, would you be interested in expanding cooperation, where do you see opportunities and demand? FS: In the Global South,
FRIEDRICH STIFT
Friedrich Stift, born in 1961, joined the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989 after graduating in law and working in the private sector. In the foreign service, he held positions in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China. He was appointed Managing Director of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in June 2021.
access to affordable, reliable and clean energy is key to combating poverty and meeting people’s basic needs. The SOLTRAIN initiative is one of our flagship programmes
31
Powered by FlippingBook