Civil Society Initiative

Civil Society Initiative
legal form	Association ( ZVR : 542210856)
founding	2007
founder	Christian Neugebauer, Wolfgang Pekny, Herbert Rauch, Alfred Strigl
Seat	Vienna
motto	Bundling forces - shaping the future
main emphasis	Social justice, environmental protection, ethics, sustainability
method	Networking between civil society actors, advice and public relations
Action space	Austria
Chair	Wolfgang Pekny (Chairman), Gerhard Schuster (Vice Chairman)
Website	initiative-zivilgesellschaft.at

The Civil Society Initiative is an association founded in Austria in 2007 that offers a wide range of civil society initiatives a platform for exchange. His goal is to create synergies by getting to know different movements and to achieve a more life-friendly social system together.

Emergence

In the course of the development of the Vienna Declaration for a Sustainable World Order (published as a book under the title “Die Wende der Titanic”), the civil society initiative was formed in 2005 and was founded in 2007 as an association. In addition to the authors Herbert Rauch and Alfred Strigl, the online and print medium Glocalist by Christian Neugebauer and Wolfgang Pekny , then a think tank at Greenpeace , played a key role. The well-known scientist, author and environmental activist Peter Weish soon joined them. The ÖKOBÜRO (coordination office of WWF , Greenpeace, GLOBAL 2000 and 15 other environmental organizations) is also involved in the initiative.

activities

Interdisciplinary problem areas and opportunities are dealt with in working groups that can be set up freely and spontaneously by the members at any time. Members can submit applications at the six-monthly conferences that alternate between Vienna and other locations in Austria. If a majority votes in favor of the requested content, it will be adopted as a common principle and published on the homepage. The civil society initiative currently serves its members mainly as a platform for networking and exchanging knowledge with other movements and organizations. The vision for the future, however, is a permanent civil society council that is available to politics and business as a competent civil society advisory body without political or economic obligations.

The 10th conference (topic: "Rio + 20 - On the way to global responsibility?" ) Took place from June 1st to 3rd, 2012 in Ossiach Carinthia.

structure

The concept of unity in diversity is implemented through precisely formulated association statutes . Not every member has to fully agree with every submitted content of other members. The members retain their sovereignty. Initiatives within the civil society initiative can be launched by individuals as well as organizations. No employees are employed and only the voluntary commitment of the members determines the activities of the civil society initiative. There is no mandate to delegate tasks to the association body. In the association only happens what the members take into their own hands.

In addition to memberships for organizations and initiatives that are active in civil society, there is also the possibility of pure sustaining memberships for individuals and other legal entities.

Positions

The basic motive is to establish and promote a life-friendly lifestyle. Specifically elaborated proposals for expanded democratic structures through a three-stage people's legislation at national as well as European level can be found in it, as well as the explicit demand to ensure that civil society engagement is no longer endangered or criminalized by Section 278a of the Criminal Code, as in the case of the Wiener Neustadt animal welfare process can be. The introduction of an unconditional basic income is also on the agenda, as are alternative monetary systems , a new social architecture, a right to child-friendly education and concepts for ecological and social change. A fair ecological footprint also has to do with sustainable technologies and cannot be calculated without the massive influence of animal products and global reforestation . Efforts to promote cultural diversity also include supporting alternative media and the peace movement .

Members

Civil society organizations, initiatives, activities or projects can be accepted as members of the Civil Society Initiative. At the beginning of October 2009 there were the following 43 members in the civil society initiative:

• Agenda 21 Vienna Alsergrund, group "A humane city is possible"
• AGW - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gerecht Wirtschaften
• action ELIANT
• Action people's legislation now!
• A&O psychology in nonprofits
• Bioneers
• Citizens' Initiative Save Austria ( Memento from April 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
• CCS No thanks!
• disclosureproject.org (Austria)
• Molln Energy Working Group
• ESD - European Sustainable Development
• Find the base
• FO.FO.S - Forum for promoting self-employment
• Science & Environment Forum
• Against corruption in science - for awareness of fundamental rights and sustainable technologies
• Humanistic Platform - Human Politics Initiative
• IG-EuroVision
• Initiative New Work, New Money, Permaculture
• Marigold Initiative
• Creative factory
• Media conference
• MitANANDA - Association for the Promotion of Quality of Life Research
• Neu-Zeit association for promoting the idea of ​​sustainability
• Network for the promotion of regional economic cycles
• Nouvelle Alliance
• ECO OFFICE
• Permaculture Austria
• Platform footprint
• Political awareness and education workshop
• OPEN SOCIETY project
• PROSA - Pro Slovakia nuclear free
• RTG - Round Table Basic Income
• SOL - people for solidarity, ecology and lifestyle
• Tyrolean hour - regional money for Tyrol
• Unterguggenberg Institute
• Vegan Society Austria
• Association SOS - rainforest
• Association students in need
• Association triesterviertel.at
• Association for media culture
• ZIMD - Center for Interaction, Media and Social Diversity
• System change future forum

Web links

• initiative-zivilgesellschaft.at official website of the association.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The turn of the Titanic  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   - Vienna Declaration for a Sustainable World Order, Oekom Verlag, 2005
2. ↑ Glocalist online daily newspaper for CSR & business ethics, sustainability & social responsibility
3. ↑ Resolutions  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the 5th conference in Innsbruck  
4. ↑ WUK Magazine: Conference Civil Society Review
5. ↑ Ökonews report: 6th civil society conference in Vienna shows great diversity of sustainable "joie de vivre"
6. ↑ Advance notice 10th Civil Society Conference  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ Constitution ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the civil society initiative and link to the association's statutes 
8. ↑ List of jointly decided positions ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. the civil society initiative