UNODA Office in Vienna

The establishment of this Office is a response to the growing need for cooperation in all areas of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. It will especially improve collaboration among the Vienna-based organizations and specialized agencies.

— Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Vienna, Austria
17 February 2012

 

Inaugurated in 2012, the Vienna Office of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is primarily involved in providing disarmament education and therefore building capacity among various audiences, such as the general public with no prior knowledge of disarmament issues, young professionals, educators, diplomats, government officials and experts. To this end, the Office has developed an interactive global online learning platform, the Disarmament Education Dashboard that aims at providing learners around the globe with first-hand expertise from major international organizations and practitioners in all areas of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, and other cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth and development. The Office also hosts webinars on a wide range of timely subjects in these areas.

In addition, the UNODA Vienna Office focuses on liaison and coordination, as well as promoting successful dialogue between multiple relevant entities. The office facilitates close cooperation with Vienna-based offices and organizations, ensuring effective interaction across all areas of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. Its principal partners in this regard include the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), as well as other relevant regional intergovernmental organizations, such as the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The UNODA Vienna Office also works closely with relevant international disarmament and civil-society organizations, in particular the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) and the academic community on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control issues.

In 2017, the UNODA Vienna Office launched the Scholarship for Peace and Security (SPS) training program which provided an opportunity for 140 female early-career professionals from 77 countries of the Global South to obtain disarmament and non-proliferation training also involving various partner organizations. 2019 was the starting point of a series of similar annual training courses developed for female young representatives of OSCE participating States and Partners for Cooperation via a joint project of the OSCE and the UNODA Vienna Office. These courses are composed of an 8-week online training as well as a week-long in-person training organized in Vienna. The fifth edition of the OSCE-UNODA Scholarship for Peace and Security training program (May-July 2022), yet again aims at providing general orientation and knowledge about conflict prevention and resolution through arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, with a specific focus on OSCE-relevant instruments. 152 participants from over 50 OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation are taking part in the online training, while the in-person training is envisaged to be held in fall 2022 – subject to pandemic restrictions.

Furthermore, the UNODA Vienna Office assists on a wide range of disarmament-related issues, including the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the United Nations Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (Firearms Protocol), in cooperation with UNODC. The Office also contributes to efforts aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality), 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) among others, and focuses on the humanitarian component of the proliferation of weapons and armament.

Contact Information

UNODA Vienna Office
Vienna International Centre
Room: E-1119
P.O. Box 500
1400 Vienna, Austria
Tel: (+43-1) 26060-4180
Fax: (+43-1) 26060-7-4180
Email: unoda-viennaoffice@un.org

 

Social media channels:

 

Offices Away from UNHQ