UN Secretariat building renovations completed: Is there space for civil society?

We are pleased that the nearly $2 billion renovation of the United Nations Secretariat building is now officially completed. We include Secretary-General Ban’s remarks on this milestone below. Michael Adlerstein, the New York architect who is overseeing the massive project, expects the General Assembly building to be completed in 2014, and the UN now plans a “swing” building just south of the complex to house the UN staff who don’t fit into the refurbished Glass House.

The past three years have been a disorienting and disruptive time for UN staff, who have been scattered around the city. It has also been a vulnerable time for the Organization. The esprit de corps among staff has been severely eroded by their isolation in rented offices and by a largely absent Secretary-General, who has avoided spending any time at Headquarters and with his staff. The lack of leadership has left the Organization adrift. Some suspect this is exactly what key Member States had in mind as they feverishly scramble behind the scenes to reassert power and authority amid tectonic economic, political and social shifts that elude everyone’s control.

We have been concerned that this lack of leadership and cohesion could render the Organization more and more irrelevant. And Rain Barrel – powerful presence that we are! – has lobbied over the years to ensure that civil society organizations – particularly the thousands of NGOs that work with the UN around the world – retain their proper place within the halls of the Secretariat.

Neither Member States nor Secretariat officials are keen on having a lot of NGO representatives around, monitoring their work and suggesting new approaches to solving the world’s crises. The UN is, they are quick to point out, an organization of governments. And who the hell elected these NGOs, anyway?

But from the UN’s inception in San Francisco in 1945, civil society organizations have been a crucial presence at the United Nations. And in recent decades, they have become indispensable operational and policy players as well. There should be no turning back.

We recently asked Mr. Adlerstein about plans for an NGO resource center at Headquarters, which many believe should be in the Secretariat building itself, as in the past. We envision a state-of-the-art space that enables NGOs in New York and – more importantly – around the world, to have physical and virtual access to the entire Organization. This includes, at a minimum, the documents, the staff, the delegates and the meetings of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council and other bodies on a continuous basis.

Mr. Adlerstein, a can-do guy working in the most complex political environment of his career, echoed the same message we’ve heard from the Secretary- General on down: “We are very mindful of the importance of the NGO community at the UN. We have not, however, decided where they will have their space.”  The NGOs themselves have given up trying to get a straight answer.

The renovation of UN Headquarters is clearly a symbolic moment for the renewal and reform of the Organization itself. We hope that civil society organizations can be at the center of this needed transformation – as witnesses, as activists, and as key players.

A home for them at Headquarters is crucial. And it will not happen without a fight.

Here are the Secretary-General’s remarks at the ceremony marking completion of the renovation of the Secretariat building on 21 December:

“This is a historic moment.

The United Nations is open for business in our beautifully renovated
Headquarters.

Today we celebrate the rebirth of an architectural masterpiece for the 21st
century.

We mark a major milestone toward the completion of the Capital Master Plan.

Systems, spaces, security and safety features have all been transformed.

The renovation has given new life to the Secretariat tower.

The offices are now open and bright.

The building is safer, greener and more efficient. We have reduced energy
and water consumption by more than 50 per cent. The United Nations is
leading by example in sustainable development.

At the same time, we have also shown great respect for the original vision
of the architects.

Today the building remains a symbol of hope, inside and out.

In 1949, the American writer E.B. White, watching these buildings rise on
the former slaughterhouse site, described the United Nations as “the
greatest housing project of them all … to shelter … all governments, and
to clear the slum called war…”

The modernization of the complex will help us to better fulfilll that global
mission.

I would like to acknowledge several people and organizations that have made
this achievement possible.

First, the staff of the United Nations. Thank you for your flexibility,
patience and abiding dedication during the time you spent in swing spaces,
apart from colleagues.

Second, the CMP team, which falls under Under-Secretary-General Yukio
Takasu and is headed by Assistant Secretary-General Michael Adlerstein.
The CMP is a small office but has accomplished a big task.

Third, I would like to acknowledge the former senior UN officials who laid
the groundwork for this project. My predecessor Kofi Annan put forward the
initial proposal for the CMP. The renovation was also shepherded from
concept to completed design by two other Under-Secretaries-General for
Management: Ms. Alicia Barcena and Ms. Angela Kane.

Finally, and most important, I thank the Member States, including the host
country and our great host city, [the United States and New York]
respectively. In an era of severe budgetary constraints, Member States
have provided significant resources and material support. We are truly
indebted to them for this investment in our Organization — and in all of
us. We should not take this gift for granted. The best way for us to
repay this debt is through our performance.

Of course, the CMP is not finished. In less than 90 days, we will reopen
the Conference Building. Then we will begin work on the General Assembly
building.

But today, let us marvel at the renewal of this landmark.

Every day, thousands of staff, delegates and visitors pass through these
halls.

Every day, we seek to advance the cause of peace, development and justice.

Today begins a new era in this vital work of service to the world’s people.

Thank you. Congratulations to all who have collaborated to make this great
achievement possible.

Thank you very much.”