Meeting with the Group of Friends of the Palais des Nations

Excellencies
Distinguished Colleagues:

I am pleased to welcome you to this meeting of the Group of Friends of the Palais des Nations. First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to you for attending today.

Preserving the Palais des Nations is one of my top priorities as Director-General. The Palais des Nations is a world-class multilateral conference centre and Geneva is widely recognized as an international hub. Our responsibility is to maintain the status of the Palais des Nations as a platform for international conferences. Last year, we hosted some 10,000 meetings here, which demonstrate the value and importance of the Palais des Nations. This is why we are committed to the necessary renovation of the buildings and why we have invited you again to discuss how to take forward the Strategic Heritage Plan for the long-term protection of the Palais.

The support of Member States has been critical in shaping the Strategic Heritage Plan. We continue to rely on your commitment and guidance as we move the process ahead. Our Group of Friends is a mechanism for Member States to provide leadership, guidance and support for the Plan at all stages. It is open to all interested Member States, and, once again, I thank you for having taken the time to take part in today’s exchange.

Since the last meeting of the Group of Friends in October 2011, a number of important developments have taken place. On 24 December 2011, the General Assembly approved further planning towards the medium-term, multi-phased renovation concept over a period of approximately eight years, as had been recommended by the Secretary-General. This included the allocation of 3.6 million US dollars for continued planning through the 2012-2013 biennium.

As part of these efforts, a dedicated project management team has been engaged. The team comprises two United Nations staff, an architect and an engineer, and a programme management consultant, a company with extensive expertise in the field of renovating buildings, including historic premises. Mr. Adams will provide further detail on the current efforts.

We are fully conscious of the economic challenges faced by Member States, which also affect the discussions on the Strategic Heritage Plan. It is clear that in this context all options must be explored to ensure the greatest possible cost-effectiveness for Member States.

Therefore, in line with the mandate given by Member States in General Assembly Resolution 66/247, particular emphasis has been placed on identifying possibilities for innovative financing of the Strategic Heritage Plan. A key lesson from the Capital Master Plan at United Nations Headquarters has been the need to integrate all knowledge available in the system. UNOG has entered into a strategic partnership with the UNECE to channel the Commission’s extensive expertise on public-private partnerships into the process. So, I am pleased to take this opportunity to thank UNECE Executive Secretary Sven Alkalaj and his team for this collaboration.

Our cooperation is aimed at distilling key lessons from the experience of Member States and other international organizations in such public-private partnerships, and reviewing their applicability for the Strategic Heritage Plan. Our goal is to present meaningful options to the General Assembly this coming June. I will ask Mr. Tony Bonnici of the UNECE to give us a synopsis of some of the main conclusions of this review so far.

Alongside these planning efforts in relation to the SHP, the implementation of energy-saving measures following the voluntary contribution of 50 million Swiss francs by Switzerland has now started physically. Allow me to take this opportunity to thank, once again, our Host Country, Switzerland, for the generous contribution and the continued commitment to the preservation of the Palais des Nations.

We are also engaged in urgent repair works as part of our regular maintenance efforts, all with a view to ensuring the long-term preservation of the Palais.

I also take this opportunity to thank those Member States who have, or will soon, generously fund renovation or refurbishment of individual conference rooms. While this does not address the underlying infrastructure challenges, the individual voluntary contributions represent a welcome and most appreciated commitment to the Palais des Nations.

Thank you very much.