SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTION OF CAPITAL MASTER PLAN;

SAYS WILL ENSURE HEADQUARTERS REMAINS ‘WORKSHOP FOR PEACE’ FOR GENERATIONS

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General welcomes the adoption of the resolution on the Capital Master Plan by the General Assembly.  Thanks to the funding of $1.88 billion, it will be possible to undertake a general refurbishment of United Nations Headquarters in New York between 2007 and 2014, for the first time since most of the buildings were completed in the early 1950s.

Through the Capital Master Plan, United Nations Headquarters will become a safer, healthier and more secure environment for staff, delegates and visitors.  It will become better equipped for adapting to change, and for using resources in sustainable and responsible ways.

The Secretary-General extends his sincere thanks to Member States for funding the Capital Master Plan, and for ensuring that United Nations Headquarters can remain a workshop for peace for generations to come.

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For information media • not an official record