Walter Gehr grew up in France and Austria and began his diplomatic career in the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1989 after studying law. He was subsequently posted to Dublin, Geneva and Ankara. After the attacks of 11 September 2001, he headed the group of experts of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council. From the end of 2002, he worked for the Terrorism Prevention Division of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna and advised numerous governments and international organizations on legal issues relating to the fight against terrorism.

In 2011, he returned to the Austrian Foreign Ministry, where he was responsible for international investment protection treaties. In December 2017, he became Head of Cabinet of the Austrian Foreign Minister and subsequently Foreign Policy Advisor to the Vice Chancellor. Walter Gehr taught for many years at the Diplomatic Academy and the Vienna University of Economics. He is still a lecturer at the International School of Nuclear Law of the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency. Walter Gehr is currently assigned to the Cultural Department of the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs where he is in charge of digital humanism.