08/28 - 08/29
I woke up early on Wednesday (08/28) to prepare for our tour at the United Nations office in Vienna. Making sure to grab my passport, I headed over with a group of students to Donau City in the Twenty-Second District of Vienna. After going through security, our tour of the office began. Passing around a fountain with countries' flags surrounding it, we learned that this complex of buildings—besides the Austria convention center—is considered to be international territory and not part of Austria. With construction of the buildings finalized in 1980, it acts as the headquarters for a variety of UN agencies, most notably the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The fountain within the UN Vienna building complex.
A miniature replica of the UN Vienna building complex.
During the tour, I asked our guide about whether non-member UN observer states—such as Palestine—and continental unions—such as the African Union—are given a seat at UN conference meetings. Our tour guide replied that everyone is invited to the UN as the organization encourages inclusion, but they would have to accept the invitation in order to attend.
After walking the hallways of the UN office building and staring at a genuine lunar rock sample, we were treated to a lecture on the International Atomic Energy Agency. With one hundred and seventy-eight member states, the agency advances the study of nuclear technology, promotes the safe and peaceful use of nuclear power, and ensures countries' compliances with nuclear agreements. The lecturer highlighted that nuclear power is a green energy and that—while about ten percent of the world's population uses nuclear power—billions more people could still benefit from using this energy. I asked if being a signatory to the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty was a prerequisite to becoming a member of the IAEA and if they are able to inspect the nuclear projects of non-signatory states. The lecturer elaborated that all IAEA members currently are treaty signatories and that though some non-signatory states allow IAEA inspections, they are under no obligation to do so as they did not sign the treaty.
A hallway within one of the UN buildings.
During lunch at the cafeteria within the United Nations building, I had the pleasure of talking to an employee of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He specifically worked on the technology side of nuclear power, including assisting developing countries in cultivating their nuclear power systems. Among other questions, I asked him about the fierce opposition towards the usage of nuclear energy and if he thinks that in the future more of the world would be open to using nuclear power. The IAEA employee elaborated that while this is not the stance of the agency as they cannot force countries to use nuclear energy, he personally believes that its usage will only increase in the decades to come as people are educated more about it and learn about its usefulness as a green energy source.
I also had the opportunity of speaking with a German man named Martin that had just recently attended a UN conference on corruption. After I asked him about the best possible ways to combat corruption and the feasibility of using sanctions, he replied that sanctions are ineffective in this regard as he maintains that the best way to combat government corruption comes from the people within the country wanting change rather than an outside force insisting upon it. Following our lunch, we stopped by the gift shop before leaving the UN complex.
On Thursday (08/29), I spent much of the day working on my blog and essay. However, not wanting one of my last days in Vienna solely doing classwork, I also took a walk around the city. I first strolled to the MuseumQuartier in the Seventh District of Vienna, passing by the Leopold Museum and the Mumok Museum. I then walked through the Maria-Theresien-Platz, stopping for a moment to look at the Maria Theresa Memorial before continuing on. Finally, I wandered around the area, eventually finishing my walk at the Vienna State Opera house before taking a streetcar back to my apartment building.
The front of the Vienna State Opera house.
I also managed to make some time to watch the last assigned movie, Carol Reed's The Third Man. In this film noir, an author investigates the perceived death of his friend in post-World War II Vienna. The author's investigation and later pursuit through the streets of the British- and Soviet-occupied sections of Vienna leads him to notable places across the war-torn city, including a notable scene on the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Since the movie involved so many Viennese locations, it has thus become a cult classic in Vienna for decades.
German Words of the Day: Spannend (Exciting) & Blau (Blue)
Provided by: Transparent Language