Austria joined UNESCO on July 13, 1948.
Vienna hosted in 2005 a conference linked to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on the theme "ICT and Creativity: Strategies for a Better Information Society". Austria initiate the World Summit Award, sponsored by UNESCO, aiming to promote the best e-content and innovative multimedia applications.
Ten elements of Austrian documentary heritage are included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. Among them are the Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem belonging to the Austrian National Library; a collection of Gothic architectural drawings; the Brahms Collection; and the “Tabula Peutingeriana” or Peutinger’s Table, only surviving ancient map depicting the road network of the Roman Empire’s public communications service (added in 2007).
There are eight Austrian sites on the World Heritage List.