Student visit to the UN office, OOSA and UNIDO in Vienna 2008

Under the auspices of the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies, the 5th semester of the Export-Oriented Management program paid for the fifth consecutive time an annual visit to the United Nations Headquarters at Vienna International Centre. At this very occasion, the Export students would like to thank the chairman, Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, for giving us the unique possibility to get a deeper insight into the functionalities of such a significant, international organization.

The event took place on the afternoon of 21 October 2008 and was marked by very high security measures in order to enter the ambience of the UN, Vienna being the third most significant headquarters after New York and Geneva.

The agenda started with a guided tour through the environments of the United Nations and some information on the core mission of the UN: promoting international peace. Divided into three groups we got to see an exhibition, being exposed, inter alia, one of the famous lunar stones. Afterwards we were lead into one of the official UN conference rooms, where the ambassadors of the 193 member countries usually meet up for consulting and evaluating any relevant issues and topics. Unfortunately, there was no conference held at that time.

Later on, we all moved to a small meeting room where three representatives of the Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) kindly received us and gave us an overview about their tasks and objectives concerning the peaceful uses of outer space. The Chief of the Committee Services and Research Section Mr. Niklas Hedman from Sweden and the Austrian Prof. Hans Haubold introduced us into the new but very interesting field of space-related concerns and issues. They pointed out the importance and the influence of space-related technologies within our daily lives, e.g. GPS systems and TV satellites. Moreover, the German Mr. Werner Balogh, dedicated to Regional Centers for Space Science and Technology Education, gave us a short insight into his education programs particularly designed for PhD and Master Programs focused on space science and technology in developing countries.

As the presentations were absolutely informative, obviously arousing vested interest among the students, the discussion was characterized by a high number of questions and active participation from our side.

Eventually, we had a short talk with an IMC alumna of Export 2002 now working in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as well as two IMC Export 2005 students completing their second PTS at US Mission to UN and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Our traditional family picture in the entrance hall with all flags of the member states represented the end of a very enriching day.

We would like to thank all speakers and representatives of the UN for this profitable, unique experience.

Photos and Text: Maria S. & Carolin S.

The presentation about the OOSA can be found here.