International organisations in Vienna

United Nations in Vienna

Latvia joined the United Nations (UN) on September 17, 1991. It was the first global international organisation which Latvia joined following the restoration of its independence. The UN was established in 1945 and is currently composed of 193 Member States. The UN headquarters are located in New York, Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi;  additionally, the there are several regional offices and missions in other parts of the world.

UN office in Vienna consists of multiple international organizations, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which deals with the global fight against drugs, organized crime, corruption, and terrorism, and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), whose mission is to promote and facilitate peaceful international cooperation in outer space.

Latvia is an active contributor to the work of UN in Vienna. In the recent years Latvia has joined two important Vienna-based UN committees:

• In 2024 Latvia became a fully-fledged member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
• For the period 2025-2027 Latvia is an elected member of  UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

The most important issues on the agenda of UN in Vienna are Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Latvia has consistently advocated respect for international law and territorial integrity in the UN and other international organisations, and has acted on issues that promote sustainability and development both in Latvia and on a global scale. Latvia also has been active in thematic issues, such as promotion of women's rights and opportunities, rule of law and rule of law, freedom of the media and protection of journalists, promotion of the use of information technologies. Following developments within the framework of the UN, Latvia has made contributions to important issues regarding digital solutions and artificial intelligence, including the achievement of sustainable development goals, as well as climate action.

In demonstrating Latvia's ability to assume responsibility and make an active contribution to global processes, Latvia aspires to become a first-time member of the New York-based United Nations Security Council at the elections in 2025 (for the term 2026-2027).

Latvia has been elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2015-2017 term and to the UN Executive Council for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women for the 2013-2015 term. Latvia has been a Member of the UN Committee on Science, Technology and Development since 2007. Moreover, Latvia was elected for the third time as a Member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for the term of 2020-2022. Latvia also is elected to the UN Commission on the status of Women for the term of 2021-2025.

Latvian human rights experts have been elected to several UN committees in recent years – the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Committee against Torture, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on arbitrary detention. Since 2018, the UN Programme of the Latvian Youth delegate to the UN has been established in Latvia.

Latvia participates in military and civilian missions around the world. Latvia has participated in the UN multilateral integrated stabilisation mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the UN ceasefire monitoring organisation mission (UNTSO) and the UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In recent years, Latvia has become increasingly involved in UN peace-building efforts and in strengthening the non-proliferation, control and export control regime.Over the years, Latvia has provided voluntary financial support to various UN agencies and foundations, including the UN Security Council, AND to the victims of the OCHA, UNHCR, OHCHR, PBF, UN Women, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN aid and work Agency for Palestinian Refugees UNRWA, OSRSG-SVC, SIDS4 and ICC Trust Fund. 

More information: 
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNOOSA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Latvia actively participates in the work of Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the main intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear realm. The Agency’s mission includes a responsible use of nuclear science and technology for peace and security to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The IAEA was established in 1957 and currently has 180 Member States. Latvia joined the organisation in 1997. The IAEA has a research laboratory in Seibersdorf (Austria) and a marine environment laboratory in Monaco.

The IAEA supports its Member States in achieving their social and economic objectives through the use of nuclear technologies in energy generation, medicine, food safety, and other fields. The IAEA also develops radiation safety standards and assists states with compliance. In order to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the agency, through inspections, verifies the compliance of Member States with the Treaty on the non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the use of nuclear material for peaceful purposes only.

Through its Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) the

Agency monitors nuclear safety and security Europe’s biggest nuclear facility - Ukraine’s Zaporizhzya Nuclear Power Plant, which has been illegally seized by Russian forces.

The IAEA motto is “Atoms for Peace and Development”.

More information:
International Atomic Energy Agency | Atoms for Peace and Development

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) 

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty stipulates that carrying out nuclear tests and any other nuclear explosions – above ground, underground, in the atmosphere and underwater – are prohibited to prevent both the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons. The Treaty has not yet entered into force pending ratification by a number of specific nations.

The Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization was established on 19 November 1996 by a Resolution adopted by the Meeting of States Signatories at the United Nations in New York, pending treaty's entry into force.

The organisation’s technical resources are already making a significant contribution. To monitor possible nuclear explosions in a continuous round-the-clock mode, an International Monitoring System has been established consisting of 337 data collection facilities all over the globe. The system comprises four technologies: seismological (recording vibrations in the Earth’s crust), hydroacoustic (recording acoustic waves in water), infrasound (recording sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of human audibility) and radionuclide (detecting radioactive particles in the atmosphere). This system is vital, for example, for early warning of tsunami waves caused by underground shocks.

In Latvia, the Treaty entered into force on 28 June 2001. It has been ratified by all the Member States of the European Union.

More information:
Homepage | CTBTO