AUSTRIA, BRUNO KREISKY AND THE UNITED NATIONS

Bruno Kreisky was Austrian Foreign Minister from July 1959 to April 1966 and played a central role in establishing Austria in the United Nations (UN).

Shortly after taking office, Kreisky addressed the 14th UN General Assembly on 25 September 1959. He used the UN as a platform to strengthen Austria's neutrality and position the country as an active mediator between East and West. During his later time as Federal Chancellor (1970-1983), he promoted the expansion of Vienna into the third UN location. 

The picture above shows Foreign Minister Bruno Kreisky at a meeting with the third UN Secretary-General U Thant on 3 September 1962 (Source: Votava / SPÖ Presse und Kommunikation).

On 11 May, U Thant's grandson, the author and historian Thant Myint-U, was a guest at the Bruno Kreisky Forum. The connection between the two is not only familial, but also intellectual: in his work, Thant Myint-U often sheds light on his grandfather's work and the historical context of the 1960s, as in his work Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World (2025). 

Thant Myint-U spoke about this on 11 May with Ulrike Lunacek, who is currently acting as special representative for Austria's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.