THE ANNIVERSARY of the opening of the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna is an opportunity for those interested in learning about how the UN works to visit the premises.
The UN has been based in Vienna for 35 years. The VIC was officially opened on 23 August, 1979 when it was handed over to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Commonly known locally as 'UNO City', it has been rented out to the organisations for 99 years at a symbolic rate of 1 Austrian schilling (7 euro cents) annually, the UN Information Service wrote in a press release.
To mark the anniversary, the Vienna International Centre (VIC) is offering public, free guided tours on Friday, August 15, 2014. Visitors will be able to join free guided tours of the building in German or English and find out more about the UN organisations based at the VIC.
The tours will leave from the entrance at Gate One, every 30 minutes from 09:30 to 15:30 on Friday 15 August. People will need to bring a photo ID to be able to join the tours.
Today, the Vienna International Centre houses the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom), and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
Other United Nations organizations and entities with offices in Vienna are the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Postal Administration - (UNPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the secretariat of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention - United Nations Environment Programme Vienna (UNEP-ISCC), the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Vienna office, the United Nations Register of Damage caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNROD) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).
