29 July 2026
GLOBAL ETHIC: 20 YEARS IN AUSTRIA
On April 27, 2026, the Global Ethic Initiative Austria (IWEO) celebrated its 20th anniversary at Vienna City Hall. Representatives from the worlds of politics, religion, academia, and civil society gathered to look back on two decades of volunteer work promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue. The focus of the evening was on a woman who has shaped this initiative from the very beginning: Edith Riether, founder and long-time president.
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE INITIATIVE
There are organizations that would be almost inconceivable without a particular person. For the Global Ethic Initiative Austria, that person is Edith Riether. She founded the initiative in 2006, led it on a volunteer basis for over two decades, and brought the traveling exhibition “World Religions – World Peace – Global Ethic”—conceived by the Global Ethic Foundation in Tübingen—to 47 locations throughout Austria: from Vienna’s adult education centers and the UN City to universities in Salzburg and Innsbruck. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, she also organized a poster contest on the Golden Rule in world religions, which resulted in 800 entries from students.
Helmut Schüller, the initiative’s new president, praised her work and announced plans to further develop existing projects and forge new partnerships. Riether herself also spoke, reflecting on the past and outlining the direction the work should take.
ZOLLER: GLOBAL ETHOS IS NOT AN IDEAL, BUT A PRACTICE
Lena Zoller, executive manager of the Global Ethic Foundation in Tübingen, spoke on behalf of the foundation. She recalled what lies behind the idea of a global ethic, as conceived by Hans Küng: not an appeal to a distant global community, but an approach that must take effect in schools, in social interaction, and in concrete dialogue. In light of growing polarization, she said, there is a need for common ethical foundations to which people of different backgrounds and convictions can relate. The Austrian initiative has been making an independent contribution to this for twenty years as a committed part of the international network of the Global Ethic Project.
The keynote address was delivered by Nils Goldschmidt from the Global Ethic Institute at the University of Tübingen. His topic: “What Holds Society Together? The Global Ethic Idea in Times of Upheaval.”
EDUCATION AS THE CORE OF THE PARTNERSHIP
A particular focus of the collaboration between Tübingen and Vienna is on educational initiatives. The traveling exhibition by the Global Ethic Foundation, which Riether once brought to Austria, has just been reissued in a new edition, now titled “Religions – Values – Peace.” It is aimed at high school students, college students, and anyone interested in interfaith dialogue and questions of values—from religious communities and adult education centers to the general public.
THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF THE GLOBAL ETHIC PROJECT
The anniversary celebration also brought together representatives of the Global Ethic Project’s international network. In addition to Nils Goldschmidt from the Global Ethic Institute, Odilo Noti from the Global Ethic Foundation Switzerland was in attendance.
The Global Ethic project goes back to Hans Küng. He launched the initiative in 1990 and established the Global Ethic Foundation in 1995. It is based on the conviction that, despite cultural, religious and ideological differences, people around the world share common ethical principles - the so-called global ethic.
The project is led by the Global Ethic Foundation, the Global Ethic Institute and international partner organisations such as the Swiss Global Ethic Foundation and the Global Ethic Initiative Austria. Together, they form an open network that strengthens ethical orientation in education, business, politics and society.