Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency, Ms. Beate Meinl-Reisinger,
Director-General Grossi,
USG Pollard,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
It is a true pleasure to welcome you all today to this special occasion.
Minister Meinl-Reisinger, it is wonderful to welcome you back to the VIC.
And it is a pleasure to also have our dear colleagues Director-General Grossi and USG Pollard with us today.
It is especially inspiring to have three women speaking at this event.
This would have been highly unlikely back when the UN was first established.
But over the years, we have broken old traditions, shattered glass ceilings, and forged new paths where none existed before.
In fact, the UN in Vienna was very much ahead of its time in this respect, appointing the first woman Director-General of UNOV, Margaret Anstee, back in 1987.
This was one of many milestones that showed how each step forward, no matter how big or small, leads to progress.
And it is in that spirit that we are unveiling this timeline today, which tells the story of how Austria and the United Nations have moved forward together, building a partnership that continues to evolve and grow.
And I can’t think of a more symbolic time to be unveiling it than now, as 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the 70th anniversary of Austria joining this global family.
These two anniversaries invite us to reflect and celebrate a shared journey.
Vienna’s journey with the UN is one of bridge building and solidarity, and our host city is now a renowned home of multilateralism.
And the UN’s journey in Vienna, which began with the establishment of the IAEA, joined soon after by UNIDO, CTBTO, and UNODC, has transformed this Centre into the vibrant hub we know today.
This Vienna International Centre is now home to more than 5,000 staff from over 150 countries, all working together under the shared principles and values of the UN Charter.
It is a place where dialogue meets compromise, and compromise produces results and action for people everywhere.
In this building, Member States come together to find common solutions to shared challenges.
From harnessing the power of the atom for peace and monitoring nuclear testing, to fuelling sustainable industrial development, understanding the wonders of outer space, and standing united in the fight against organized crime, drugs, corruption and terrorism.
And Austria has been an important partner for our work and for the UN more broadly, serving as an exemplary host country, contributing to peacekeeping missions, supporting humanitarian action, and always championing multilateralism and the values of the UN Charter.
The UN has in turn contributed so much to Vienna, elevating the city’s profile on the international stage and bringing practical benefits.
According to a recent study, the international community’s presence in Austria today helps sustain nearly 20,000 jobs and adds 1.7 billion euros annually to Austria’s economy, by procuring goods and services, supporting the hospitality and schooling sectors, and boosting local businesses.
Beyond the economic benefits, we are also proud to bring a global element to Vienna’s rich cultural landscape, and to provide young Austrians with unique opportunities to network and engage on global issues.
Every year, more than 50,000 visitors walk through the doors of the VIC, many of them school children and students, curious to learn about the United Nations.
We also run regular summer programmes through our partnership with the City of Vienna to introduce school children to the principles of diplomacy and multilateralism.
I’m especially happy that we have a group of students from two local Austrian schools with us and to have heard about their work earlier today.
It’s a reminder that events like this are not just about looking back at the past, but about shaping the future and making sure the UN is fit-for-purpose for the next generation.
And as we look forward, the UN Secretary-General and Member States are currently leading the UN80 process.
This is an important opportunity to refocus, reform, and revitalize multilateralism for the world our children will inherit.
Austria has played an active role in these discussions both here in Vienna and in New York, and we are grateful for its engagement and support.
In a world of growing crises, from conflict and climate change to rising poverty and inequality, we need the UN more than ever before.
Now is the time to invest in multilateralism and to make the most of the platform that Vienna provides as a hub of multilateralism and as our host city.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As I close, allow me to express my sincere thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to my own team at the UN, whose collaboration has brought this timeline to life.
Let us draw inspiration from it, as a reminder of what we have achieved, how far we have come, and the work that still lies ahead.
Together, let us write the next chapter of Austria’s story in the UN and the UN’s story in Vienna.
Thank you.
