PRESS BRIEFING ON CAPITAL MASTER PLAN BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL CONNOR

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING ON CAPITAL MASTER PLAN BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL CONNOR

The United Nations Headquarters complex in New York would undergo a six- year, $964-million refurbishment, possibly including expansion, according to a Capital Master Plan presented to correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon by Under-Secretary-General for Management Joseph E. Connor, and Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, Toshiyuki Niwa.

The Plan was developed as part of a thorough Secretariat review of the physical needs of the ageing landmark structures, built between 1949 and 1961, which found that "major repair, equipment replacement and refurbishing were unavoidable". The review outlined the financial implications of various maintenance strategies over a twenty-five year period, comparing the cost of ad hoc repairs with that of a comprehensive renovation.

"At the end of twenty-five years it doesn't matter what we do, we will have charged the Member States exactly the same amount of money... The difference is that we get a substantially refurbished complex under the Capital Master Plan, and we get a building in dire need of repair if we don't", said Under-Secretary- General Connor.

The review found that maintenance could not keep pace with structural repairs required for major plumbing leaks, rusting rail supports, soaked roofing material and the original, 50-year-old electrical wiring. And the Headquarters buildings no longer comply with current fire safety codes and environmental standards. There was for example, no sprinkler system in the high-rise building and asbestos were present. Handicapped accessibility standards and security requirements were also not being met. Finally, the buildings were extremely energy-inefficient.

Messrs. Connor and Niwa said the ad hoc repair strategy, which they termed the "reactive approach", was just as expensive as the Master Plan, if the continued high-energy costs were added to emergency repair costs. Worse, code and standard violations would not be rectified, and the emergency repairs would still be going on after the 25-year period.

The General Assembly would probably need to meet in one of the Conference Rooms for one year's session during the renovation, they said. But the benefit of the Master Plan, as they presented it, would be the creation of "swing space" needed to accommodate the 33 per cent of staff that would need to be relocated from the Secretariat under the six-year plan.

The space requirement -- from 201,000 to 230,000 square feet -- could be met by leasing, in a way that would eventually confer ownership on the United Nations, or by construction. Construction options included a 10-story vertical addition to the Secretariat, the replacement of the South Annex, and an addition above the Library.

Connor Press Briefing - 2 - 25 July 2000

It was hoped that the "swing space" could be used after the period of renovation for various needs of the organization, they said. In addition, other improvements will be proposed along with the Master Plan, including expanded conference space and a "Visitor's Experience" project to greatly enhance tourist facilities. "We expect that this project will be of great interest to the city and the state", Mr. Niwa said.

Mr. Connor laid out various financing options for the Capital Master Plan, all of which relied heavily on Member States' participation. The options involved special assessments, incorporation into the programme budget, and voluntary contributions, utilizing either cash payments or deferred payments based on various loan mechanisms. Mr. Connor noted that, even when the interest was figured into the cost of the project, the cost of the Capital Master Plan over 25 years could be almost identical to that of the "reactive approach" -- while, of course, resulting in a completely renovated complex.

A summary of the Plan was presented to Member States on 18 July, awaiting the full plan due in early August. It would be submitted to the General Assembly this fall.

A correspondent asked whether the city was privy to any of the building plans, specifically those related to off-site buildings depicted in the Master Plan. Under-Secretary-General Connor replied that no specific locations had yet been proposed for the off-site options. In any case, he said, for all real-estate matters, the United Nations worked through the United Nations Development Corporation (UNDC), which was a corporation set up to assist the United Nations with its property needs.

Various correspondents wondered about the design integrity of the possible additions being proposed. Messrs. Connor and Niwa said that no architectural drawings for those additions yet existed, and that there would be competition for architectural contracts for whatever portions of the Master Plan were given the go-ahead. They would be sensitive to neighbourhood concerns about green areas and views, they said, and they reacted favourably to a suggestion that any surviving architects, of the original Headquarters design be consulted.

Other correspondents asked about the reactions of Member States to the cost of the project. Mr. Connor said that most Member States are aware of the problems and many building users are worried about such hazards as the high reading of electromagnetic fields. "We have heard people say 'Yes, there is a need.' We haven't yet heard, 'Yes, we're going to pay our share'".

There had been, at various times, positive interest from various governments in capital improvements, but no major commitments yet for this Plan. The voluntary contribution route would be tried, but 90 per cent of the proposed work was in refurbishment, which had less appeal for fundraising, even though there were ways of making the contributions tax-deductible. The mixed-loan options seemed at this point the most probable financing means.

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