UNECE Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration
Team of Specialists on Public-Private Partnerships
Fifth Session

Executive Secretary Alkalaj
Distinguished Ambassadors and experts
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Director-General regrets that he is not able to take part personally but has asked me to transmit his very best wishes for a successful meeting and the following message, which I am pleased to read to you.

“The Strategic Heritage Plan for the long-term preservation of the Palais des Nations is a key priority for me as Director-General. I am firmly committed to ensuring that the Palais continues to fulfil its critical function as a safe, cost-effective and sustainable conference centre for multilateral diplomacy.

We need to ensure that the necessary renovation can be undertaken in the most cost-effective and appropriate manner.

Public-Private Partnerships represent a potentially important approach for the realization of the Strategic Heritage Plan. As requested by Member States, we are exploring how PPP could be applied in the Palais des Nations context, what are the advantages and what are potential challenges, specifically where and how would the United Nations need to adopt its procurement, contractual and legal framework in this context.

We are pleased to working with the UNECE towards this aim and greatly appreciate your participation as experts in this joint endeavour. I take this opportunity to thank Executive Secretary Alkalaj and his excellent team for the strong collaborative effort.

I have no doubt that the detailed discussions over the coming two days will help to outline the challenges ahead and to propose solutions that can be placed before Member States. With a balanced and comprehensive report, Member States will decide how to take forward the SHP.

I wish you a productive meeting and look forward to the outcome of your discussions.”