A new center aimed at promoting awareness of the threat posed by nuclear weapons has been launched in the Austrian capital.

The Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation will be managed by the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is located close to Vienna's United Nations complex.

Among other things, it hopes to foster policy-oriented research and encourage dialogue between scholars, NGOs and officials from international organizations and governments. It will also offer training programs.

Yukiya Amano, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said at a ceremony in Austria's Foreign Ministry that he has no doubt the center will make an important contribution.