Sixty-third General Assembly

Fifth Committee

21^st Meeting (AM)

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FACILITIES AT NAIROBI OFFICE HAS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT DELAYS,

BUT STEPS TAKEN TO PUT PROJECT BACK ON TRACK, BUDGET COMMITTEE TOLD

The construction of the new facilities at the United Nations Office in Nairobi had experienced significant delays, but the Secretariat had taken the steps necessary to bring the project back on track, the Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan, Michael Adlerstein, said this morning, responding to numerous questions by the members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) regarding construction and modernization of office space in Nairobi, Kenya.

At the completion of the tender process, the project would proceed to the next stage and enter a construction contract, upon approval of the revised estimated cost by the General Assembly, he said.

The first architect, who had not been performing properly, had been terminated, and a new architect had been engaged, he continued.  The latter had produced the construction documents and tender package in just under one year, which was less time than usual for the industry.  After the award of the construction contract, the successful bidder would be expected to complete the construction of the new office facility in 24 months.  There would then be several months of interior fit-out for the agencies, under separate contracts.  On the last question, he emphasized the Secretariat’s full commitment to delivering on all construction projects under its management.

Mr. Adlerstein recalled that, in considering the projects, members of the Committee had raised questions about the basis for the delegation of authority given to the Director of Administration at the Nairobi Office and asked whether and how the Director-General of the Office had been briefed or consulted on the projects; and whether she had authority and responsibility for the projects.  Details had been requested on the composition and competencies of the team, including the dedicated resources for managing those projects, as well as steps taken to get the projects on track.  Speakers wanted to know how long the new office construction would take to complete; and what was the general policy towards construction projects on the African continent.

Summarizing the responses to those questions, which had been distributed in the room, he said that, in 2003, the steering group on reform and management had reviewed the delegation of authority, with a view to implementing action 32, paragraph 189, of the Secretary-General’s report Strengthening the United Nations; an agenda for change.  An Inter-Office Project Steering Committee and working groups had been established in that respect.  The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the Office of Legal Affairs had participated in the working groups.  Subsequently, the current delegation of financial authority had been issued to the Director of Administration at the Nairobi Office by the Controller on 27 July 2004, and procurement authority had been issued by the Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services on 19 May 2005.  Both had been issued as part of implementation of the revised Financial Regulations and Rules approved by the Assembly in resolution 57/573.

A formal presentation on the construction of new office facilities at the Nairobi Office had been given to the Director-General and other senior officials on 10 October 2008, he continued.  Also, in accordance with ST/SGB/2008/7, “the Director-General is responsible for all activities of the United Nations Office at Nairobi; […] and provides executive direction and management to the programmes of administration, conference services and other support and common services”.  The Director-General, therefore, had full responsibility and the authority necessary to manage those projects.  The details on the composition and competencies of the team, including the dedicated resources managing those projects, were being provided in writing.

Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, the representative of Antigua and Barbuda then reiterated the importance of completing construction projects speedily.  On 20 November, the Group had taken the extraordinary measure of asking that the issue of the construction projects in Nairobi and Addis Ababa be brought back to the formal session due to the inadequate, contradictory and inconsistent answers provided to Member States.  That was a “clear demonstration of a lack of accountability and commitment” regarding the construction project at the Nairobi Office.

As the Group recalled, the Director-General of the Office had indicated that she had not been consulted during preparation of the Secretary-General’s report on the issue and had not received any guidance or advice on the project.  He expressed concern that the highest ranking official in Nairobi appeared not to have the required delegation of authority over the project and had been and “kept out of the loop”.

He said the Director-General, Anna Tibaijuka, had made the following recommendations:  the project needed a dedicated onsite unit within the Office, which would be in charge of the project to ensure adequate capacity and ability; the managers in Nairobi should have daily supervision of the project, with guidance and support provided by Headquarters as needed; authority must be delegated to the Director-General and the involvement of the Board (ESMB) as per the Secretary-General’s bulletin (ST/SGB/2008/7), as appropriate; and an independent oversight mechanism should be established for the project.

Further, he said that authority should be delegated in alignment with the proposed new structure, including full delegation of authority to the Director-General of the Office, which would enable her to exercise authority as outlined in the bulletin.  Maintaining the status quo at the Office was not an option.  The Director-General should assume full responsibility and accountability for the project’s implementation, as a matter of urgency.

Following consultations with other Groups and delegations on the planned submission of a concise summary relating to the remarks of the Director-General of the Nairobi Office during informal discussions in late October, the Group of 77 was ready to return to informal consultations on the matter, he said.  That summary provided useful background and context to the challenges on the ground in Nairobi.  It was regrettable that Member States had had to resort to producing their own summary of what a senior manager had said during informal consultations.  He hoped that such a situation would never be repeated.  The Group believed that trust, transparency and truthfulness should be the overriding practice in the Committee and the Secretariat.

The next meeting of the Committee will be announced in the Journal.

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For information media • not an official record