The EU's commitment to effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, is a central element of its external action. This commitment is rooted in the conviction that to respond successfully to global crises, challenges and threats, the international community needs an efficient multilateral system, founded on universal rights and values. 

The EU works with all UN bodies, agencies and programmes across virtually the entire range of UN activities, such as security policy, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, industrial development, energy policy, environment, human rights and culture. 

As an observer within the UN, the EU has no vote as such but is a party to more than 50 UN multilateral agreements and conventions as a non-State participant. It has obtained a special "full participant" status in a number of important UN conferences. 

The UN Section of the Delegation is responsible for the representation of the EU to the following UN and other International Organisations in Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Industrial Development Organisations (UNIDO), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), Wassenaar Arrangement, Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC), Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

All EU Member States are participating States of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Altogether, the OSCE has 57 participating States from Europe, North America, and Central Asia and spans a geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis. 

The key features of the EU's participation in the OSCE are: 

• The Delegation of the EU is regarded as being part of the Delegation of the OSCE participating State holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. As such the Delegation is participating in all proceedings unless the issue under discussion clearly falls fully outside the scope of the EU. 
• As the EU has its own Ambassador/Permanent Representative accredited to the OSCE, it is, in principle, treated as an individual OSCE participating State as concerns protocol issues, and as regards the circulation of documents or other information or invitations. 
• In all OSCE decision-making bodies, including on Ministerial and Head of State and Government level, the EU has a seat reserved beside the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU (in non-decision-making bodies the question does not arise as the OSCE practices 'free seating'). 
• In cases where the issue under discussion mainly falls under the competence of the European Community, the Delegation of the EU, representing also the Commission, can intervene in the same way as an OSCE participating State. 
• In OSCE decision-making bodies, where the EU is speaking 'with one voice', the EU Delegation may speak on behalf of all EU Member States. 
• In non-decision-making bodies, the Delegation usually coordinates the position of all EU Member States and presents it in meetings. 
• At meetings at the levels of Ministers or Heads of State and Government, the EU High Representative or the Presidents of the Council or Commission intervene. 

In particular, through its Delegation accredited to the OSCE, the EU has developed close contacts both with other OSCE Delegations and with all OSCE Institutions, notably the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna as well as the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw. Although the EU as such cannot contribute to the Unified Budget of the OSCE, it has become in recent years a big donor of extra-budgetary contributions for a large variety of programmes and projects. 

The close relations between the EU and the OSCE are also maintained through regular meetings, from EU-OSCE Ministerial Political Dialogue meetings to PSC-level Political Dialogues and staff-to-staff talks. At the field level, there are regular contacts between the OSCE field missions and the respective EU Delegations, as well as the CSDP Missions of the EU. In addition, the EU works with the OSCE and other partners in the conflict resolution processes in Moldova and in Georgia. 

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The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was concluded in Vienna on 14 July 2015, as a result of diplomatic efforts by the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy). The JCPOA is designed to ensure that Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful and provides for the comprehensive lifting of UN, EU and US nuclear-related sanctions. 

The EU Delegation in Vienna ensures the smooth functioning of the JCPOA Procurement Working Group and conducts related outreach activities. The EU Delegation in Vienna facilitates discussions on statements to be delivered on behalf of all EU Member States at meetings of the IAEA Board of Governors. The Delegation also supports the implementation of civil nuclear cooperation activities with Iran under Annex III of the JCPOA. Furthermore, it hosts and/or supports the organisation of JCPOA-related meetings in Vienna, such as meetings of the Joint Commission. 

Procurement Channel 

The Procurement Channel was established by the JCPOA for a period of ten years. This mechanism reviews proposals by States seeking to participate in or permit nuclear-related activities. The Procurement Channel is a significant transparency measure and a key tool to support non-proliferation and also trade with Iran. It relies on a mechanism involving the Security Council and the JCPOA Participants: States submit proposals to the Security Council, which transmits them to the Procurement Working Group (PWG) of the JCPOA Joint Commission. The PWG makes a recommendation on behalf of the Joint Commission, based on which the Security Council takes its decision to authorise, or not, the nuclear-related transfer or activity. The PWG meets every three weeks in Vienna at the EU Delegation. The Coordinator of the PWG is the Head of the EU Delegation's JCPOA Procurement Channel Section. 

Iran Task Force

Relations between Iran and the European Union (EU) are coordinated via the Iran Task Force based at the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters in Brussels. The Iran Task Force was established following the nuclear agreement of 14 July 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - JCPOA between the E3/EU+3 and Iran. 

The Task Force supports the EU High Representative Josep Borrell in his role as coordinator of the Joint Commission responsible for overseeing the implementation of the JCPOA. It also coordinates and develops a coherent framework for bilateral engagement with Iran in close cooperation with the European Commission services. 

The EU does not currently have a Delegation in Iran. It is therefore represented by the member state holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.