Opinions

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) just concluded its 70th session, with more than 150 scientists from 30 State Members of the Committee and 11 international organizations, which was held at the Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria from 19-23 June 2023. The Chair, Jing Chen (Canada) highlighted the significant progress made by the Committee since the 69th session, including the ongoing scientific work on second primary cancer after radiotherapy; public exposure to ionizing radiation; epidemiological studies of radiation and cancer; diseases of the circulatory system from radiation exposure and the launch of the new…

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights invite you to a series of events in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier on 5 and 6 June. This series is open to visitors free of charge and without registration. In cooperation with the United Nations in Vienna, the open-air “Human Rights Fair” provides a space for interested visitors to find out about the human rights engagement of (inter)national organisations based in Vienna: How can crime and human trafficking be effectively tackled? How…

When Religion Becomes a Political Tool of Discourse All religions strive for peace with good will, but the way to the goal is diverse. While Buddhism normally finds it no obstacle to assimilate into a new culture to bloom, some others stick to the orthodox teachings to survive. For the latter, a new environment might be a big challenge for them, sometimes at the border of toleration. During the course of human civilization, however, mutual influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have never ceased to take place, via global trade routes, immigration, official visits or localization of holy…

On 27 January 2023, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a message for the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust Today, we honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. We remember the six million Jewish children, women, and men, as well as the Roma and Sinti, the people with disabilities, and countless others who perished. We reflect on the millions of individual lives cut short; the millions of futures stolen away. As we mourn the loss of so many and so much, we also recognize that the Holocaust was not inevitable. No…