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Vienna's International Organizations, Missions & Institutes
Read the latest headlines about diplomatic missions and international organizations in Vienna and Austria
IAEA Elects 11 New Members to Board of Governors
The IAEA reports, that eleven countries have been newly elected to serve on the 35-member Board of Governors for the period 2021–2022. Read on to find out who the 11 new members are.
September 24, 2021
Studying in Austria: Significant Increase Among Foreign Students in the Corona Winter Semester 2020/21
After declining student numbers in previous years, both the number of foreign students and the number of students with Austrian citizenship increased by 4.6% and 2.6%, respectively, in the Corona winter semester 2020/21. The CEU - Central European University accounts for a good portion of the increase in foreign students. Detailed information on university statistics can be found below.
September 24, 2021
UN Vienna: Gulf Cooperation Council Appoints New Permanent Observer
The new Permanent Observer for the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf, the Saudi Arabian Ali Abdulla Ebrahim Ali Aljawder, presented his credentials to the UN in Vienna.
September 24, 2021
Meet the New Permanent Representative of Malaysia
The new Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the International Organizations in Vienna, Mr. Ikram bin Mohd Ibrahim, presented his credentials to the various heads of the international organizations in Vienna. Learn more about Mr. Mohd Ibrahim and his career before becoming the permanent representative.
September 24, 2021
Update: Travel from the United States to Austria
As a result of the increased spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the United States, Austria recently removed the US from its list of countries with low epidemiological risk. Here is an update of what this means for travelers from the United States coming to Austria.
September 24, 2021
Iran Nuclear Talks to Continue in Vienna
Discussions regarding the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, are set to continue in Vienna. This has been confirmed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, also announced to the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran has agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to service the agency’s monitoring and surveillance equipment in Iran and replace their storage media. These developments come as US President Joe Biden has publicly expressed interest in returning to the agreement that his predecessor unilaterally withdrew from.
September 24, 2021
Ibiza Affair Committee Concludes in National Council: How Corrupt are Austrian Politicians?
How corruptible is Austrian politics? This question was explored by the deputies in the National Council session when discussing the recently published final report of the Ibiza-Affair Investigation Committee. Although the report was unanimously acknowledged, the parties were far apart in their conclusions.
September 23, 2021
American Photography at the Albertina: Trevor Traina Back in Vienna
Former U.S. Ambassador to Austria Trevor Traina was at the opening of the new exhibition "American Photography" at the Albertina Museum in Vienna. Mr. Traina holds one of the largest private collections of photographs in the world, and he loaned some of these pieces to the Albertina for the exhibition. "American Photography" includes photographs from 1945 to the present and focuses on everyday motifs that had previously been considered unworthy of portrayal. Read more about the exhibition and view a selection of photographs included in the exhibit.
September 22, 2021
Meet the New Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe to the International Organizations in Vienna
The new Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe, Stuart Harold Comberbach, presented his credentials to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
September 22, 2021
Van der Bellen at 76th UN General Assembly: "World Stage of Foreign Policy"
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is in New York attending the 76th UN General Assembly along with Chancellor Kurz and Foreign Minister Schallenberg. On Tuesday, President Van der Bellen attended the "Welcome Reception" with UN-Secretary General António Guterres and the opening of the General Assembly. The President also held talks with the presidents of Costa Rica, Ghana, Guyana, Senegal, and Zambia. Van der Bellen is still scheduled to meet with Secretary-General Guterres, various world leaders, and scientists to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and more. Read about the President's trip so far and what is next on his agenda.
September 21, 2021
Multilateralism at the UN General Assembly: Kurz and Schallenberg in NYC
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Schallenberg are in New York for the 76th United Nations General Assembly. Their trip includes meetings with various delegations, with an emphasis on the situation in Afghanistan and the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the pair, along with President Van der Bellen, will meet for talks with UN Secretary-General Antońio Guterres. Chancellor Kurz will also address the Council on Foreign Relations and Schallenberg will deliver a speech to the General Assembly. Read more about the details of their trip.
September 21, 2021
New Permanent Representative of Lithuania Presents Credentials to International Organizations in Vienna
The new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the International Organizations in Vienna, H.E. Mr. Vaidotas Verba, presented his credentials to the heads of the United Nations Office Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Learn more about Ambassador Verba.
September 20, 2021 · Updated: September 20, 2021; 17:01
Vienna Welcomes New Ambassadors from Sweden, New Zealand, Chile, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Maldives and Barbados
Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen welcomed the eight newly accredited Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Sweden, New Zealand, the Republic of Chile, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Maldives, and Barbados to the Presidential Chancellery of the Vienna Imperial Palace for the presentation of their letters of accreditation.
September 17, 2021
Meet the New Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives
The new Ambassador of Maldives to Austria, H.E. Mr. Asim Ahmed, presented his credentials to Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Ambassador Ahmed also recently met with Leonore Gewessler, the Austrian Minister for Climate Action. Learn more about the Ambassador.
September 17, 2021
New Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia Presents Credentials
The new Ambassador of Latvia to Austria, H.E. Ms. Guna Japiņa, presented her credentials to the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. Read more about Ambassador Japiņa and her discussion with President Van der Bellen.
September 17, 2021
Meet the New Ambassador of Barbados to Austria
The new Ambassador of Barbados to Austria, H.E. Mr. Chad Blackman, presented his credentials to the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. Mr. Blackman is also the first Ambassador of Barbados to Serbia and the Permanent Representative of Barbados to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UN offices in Geneva. Learn more about Ambassador Blackman.
September 17, 2021
New Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan Presents Credentials
The new Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Austria, H.E. Mr. Rovshan Sadigbayli, presented his credentials to the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. He is also the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the International Organizations in Vienna. Learn more about the new ambassador.
September 17, 2021
Meet the New Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic
The new Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Austria, H.E. Mr. Tolendy Makeyev, presented his credentials to the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. Ambassador Makeyev is also the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan to the International Organizations in Vienna. Learn more about him.
September 17, 2021
IAEA’s 65th Annual General Conference
IAEA’s 65th annual General Conference (GC) takes place from 20 to 24 September 2021 in Vienna. The meeting draws high level representatives from the IAEA’s 173 Member States.
September 17, 2021
Opening of the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting 2021 in Vienna
The IAEA Board of Governors met physically this week under the chairmanship of Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in the Plenary Hall of the M-Building at the Vienna International Centre (VIC), and discussed the topics listed below.
September 17, 2021
Meet the New Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Austria
The new Ambassador of Sweden to Austria, H.E. Ms. Annika Markovic, presented her credentials to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. Ambassador Markovic is also the Ambassador of Sweden to Slovakia and the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the International Organizations in Vienna. Learn more about her.
September 16, 2021
Austrian Development Agency: An Additional 2 Million Euros for Afghanistan
At the United Nations donor conference for the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Austrian Minister for Integration and Women's Affairs Susanne Raab announced that Austria will provide an additional 2 million euros in aid to Afghanistan. The aid is being made available through funds from the Austrian Development Aid Cooperation of the Austrian Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Austrian Foreign Ministry. The conference resulted in pledges of nearly double the amount of money that the UN had set as its goal.
September 16, 2021
Security and Stability: Austria Deepens Cooperation with UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Foreign Minister Schallenberg visited the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman on a four-day trip to the Gulf region. While there, he spoke with various officials, including his counterparts: UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. The main topics of discussion were security, especially regarding extremism, and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 15, 2021
Ambassador of New Zealand Presents Credentials to International Organizations in Vienna
Mr. Brian Hewson, the Ambassador of New Zealand to Austria, presented his credentials to the international organizations in Vienna, making him the new Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the International Organizations in Vienna. Read about his background and what New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said about his appointment.
September 14, 2021
ÖBAG: Dr. Christine Catasta Appointed to the Supervisory Boards of Telekom Austria and OMV
ÖBAG CEO Dr. Christine Catasta was appointed to the Supervisory Boards of Telekom Austria (A1) and OMV. With her appointment, both companies have strengthened their women's quota, and OMV has reached parity between the number of male and female capital representatives. Read more about Dr. Catasta.
September 13, 2021
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica to Austria: H.E. Mr. Alejandro Solano Ortiz
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Peru to Austria, H.E. Mr. Alejandro Solano Ortiz presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg. In September 2021 he was named the Chairperson of the Group of 77 (G-77) Vienna Chapter.
November 7, 2018 · Updated: September 13, 2021; 11:00
OSCE: Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation Passes to Austria
The OSCE's 57 participating states now routinely delegate the Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) to Austria.
September 10, 2021
100 Speakers of Parliament Meet in Vienna
Over 100 speakers of parliament met at the Austria Center Vienna for the Fifth World Conference of the Speakers of Parliament. President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka spoke about the international community finding internal solutions to global problems. Duarte Pacheco and Martin Chungong, the President and Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), defended democracy and human rights and spoke about the robustness of parliaments during the COVID-19 crisis.
September 10, 2021
Vienna Economic Forum: Ambassador of Romania Becomes New Member of the Ambassadors Committee
The Romanian Ambassador in Vienna, H.E. Emilian Hurezeanu, was welcomed as a new member of the Ambassador Committee of the Vienna Economic Forum.
September 9, 2021
Aid Package for Afghanistan Approved by Austrian Federal Government
The Austrian Federal Government has officially approved 18 million euros in emergency aid for Afghanistan that it had previously promised. The aid will go from the Austrian Foreign Ministry's Foreign Disaster Fund (AKF) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Women, and the UN World Food Program.
September 9, 2021
One Million Corona Vaccine Doses for Tehran
Due to the spread of the delta variant, Iran is currently suffering from the fifth and most severe wave of the coronavirus pandemic. To help assist Iran in the fight against the pandemic, Austria is providing the country with one million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Austrian Ministers Schallenberg, Nehammer, and Mückstein all expressed their support for the aid package.
September 8, 2021
Think Thank IWM Welcomes 25 New Fellows
Vienna-based Think Thank IWM - Institute for Human Sciences (Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen), whose board of patrons includes among others George Soros, Joschka Fischer, Karel Schwarzenberg and Erhard Busek, welcomes 25 new fellows who will spend the next months at the institute or who will support the institute from afar as non-resident fellows.
September 3, 2021
Number of Anti-Semitism Incidents in Austria Doubled
The Anti-Semitism Reporting Office of the Jewish Community Vienna (IKG) presented its semi-annual report for the first half of 2021. The report showed that the number of incidents had doubled from the same period of the previous year. It attributed the increase mainly to Israel-related anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 3, 2021
UNHCR Vienna Office: "Everyone has the right to citizenship"
The international community celebrated the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the 1961 UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. On the anniversary, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that "everyone has the right to citizenship." UNHCR also warned about the many dangers stateless people face, including lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines, lack of economic relief from a government, and much more.
September 2, 2021
Ivan Vejvoda Temporarily Succeeds Shalini Randeria as Acting Rector of the IWM
The Vienna based IWM - Institut fuer die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Institute for Human Sciences) has announced that Permanent Fellow Ivan Vejvoda has been selected to be the Acting Rector of the Institute.
September 2, 2021
Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein Calls on Austria to Reopen Embassy in Baghdad
The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visited Vienna and the European Forum Alpbach at the invitation of Alexander Schallenberg. The topics of the conversation between the two foreign ministers according to the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Vienna.
September 2, 2021
Kazakhstan Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Weapons Test Site
The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Vienna is calling for the promotion of its anti-nuclear initiatives and to commemorate the long-term consequences of the legacy of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Weapons Test Site in eastern Ksakhstan.
September 1, 2021
40 Years After Terror Attack on City Temple in Vienna - Commemoration of Victims and Heroes
On August 29, 1981, the synagogue in Vienna (City Prayer House - Stadttempel) was shaken by a terrorist attack. It was the bloodiest attack on Jewish life in Austria after World War II. Two Palestinian terrorists killed two people in the attack, and 21 were injured, some seriously.
August 31, 2021
Inflation in Austria: Highest Rate in 10 Years
In August 2021, the inflation rate reached 3.1%, the highest value since December 2011.
August 31, 2021
Meet Helene Steinhäusl the Austrian Consul General in New York
The Consul General at the Austrian Consulate General in New York is Ms. Helene Steinhäusl. Steinhäusl has succeeded Helmut Böck, who retired from the foreign service earlier this year. Learn more about Ms. Steinhäusl's career before becoming the Consul General.
August 27, 2021
President of Kazakhstan Receives CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd
At a press conference organized by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in Nur-Sultan, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Robert Floyd, said on August 27 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site that the dismantling of the nuclear arsenal inherited by Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union has proved to be a visionary, wise and noble decision.
August 27, 2021
The Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Austria-Liechtenstein Turns 100 Years Old
The Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Austria-Liechtenstein or Handelskammer Schweiz-Österreich-Liechtenstein (HKSÖL) has supported economic relations between the countries for 100 years. They provide professional assistance to companies in these countries and Central and Eastern Europe. The HKSÖL has facilitated a particularly successful economic relationship between Austria and Switzerland. Read more about what the HKSÖL does and the Austro-Swiss economic relationship.
August 27, 2021
Soros Becomes Key Sponsor of the Forum Alpbach
Forum President Andreas Treichl, former boss of the Erste Group, has succeeded in acquiring US philanthropist George Soros (91), the founder of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), as a sponsor of the European Forum Alpbach, the annual exchange of ideas in the Tyrolean mountains.
August 27, 2021
Austrian Emergency Aid Package of 18 Million Euros for Afghan Women
Austria has announced that it will provide 15 million euros in emergency aid to help the people of Afghanistan. This is in addition to the 3 million euros that Austria already promised to donate to the UNHCR. The total of 18 million euros is intended to benefit, above all, organizations that campaign for the empowerment of women in the region, such as UN Women.
August 26, 2021
Violence Based on Religion or Belief: Vienna Human Rights Envoy Calls for Release of Detainees
On the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief Vienna’s Human Rights Commissioner called for the release of Iranian Sotoudeh and Egyptian Santawy while reaffirming the need for freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
August 26, 2021
Van der Bellen Appeals for the Acceptance of Afghans
In his speech at the opening of the European Forum Alpbach (EFA) with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen appealed for the acceptance of refugees from Afghanistan. Despite Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's concerns about accepting refugees, the president argued that there is a legal, moral and political obligation for the EU to offer protection to those forced to leave their country.
August 25, 2021
Central European University: Shalini Randeria Succeeds Michael Ignatieff
Professor Shalini Randeria has been elected to succeed Michael Ignatieff as the sixth rector and president of Central European University (CEU). Professor Randeria is the first woman to hold this position in CEU's history. Read more about Professor Randeria's election, her previous academic and professional experience, and Professor Ignatieff's tenure at CEU.
August 25, 2021
Importance of Economic Relations Between the United States and Austria
The American Chamber of Commerce in Austria (AmCham Austria) presented a new study on the importance of economic relations between the United States and Austria. AmCham also provided a position paper with five key recommendations to the Austrian Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Dr. Margarete Schramböck and Secretary-General of the Austrian Foreign Ministry Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal. Read about the findings of the study and AmCham's recommendations.
August 23, 2021
Switzerland and Austria Step Up Fight Against Illegal Migration
Swiss Justice and Police Minister Karin Maria Keller-Sutter met Interior Minister Karl Nehammer to discuss the current developments in Afghanistan as well as Switzerland's accession to the migration platform.
August 23, 2021
Schallenberg on Afghanistan: "Particularly close coordination between the EU partners is essential."
Before a virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg commented on the escalating events surrounding the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. He stressed the necessity for cooperation among the EU member states to help deal with the situation.
August 20, 2021
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