Construction of Green One UN House started in HN
VGP - The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Green One United Nations (UN) House was held on January 21 in Ha Noi. The event was co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Ms. Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam.
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| An overview of the Green One UN House in Ha Noi |
Currently, staffs working in 16 Viet Nam-based UN agencies are located in 11 different sites throughout Ha Noi.
“Bringing all UN staff to work together in one building has been an integral part of the UN reforms and the political commitment for this is expressed in the Prime Minister’s decree issued in September 2009,” said Ms. Mehta in her ceremony speech.
The future Green One UN House, developed by extending the existing Apartment Building built nearly 15 years ago at 304 Kim Ma Street, will cover nearly 7,500 m2, large enough to accommodate approximately 500 UN staff.
The House is said to be the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve Minimum Operation Security Standards compliance for all UN agencies in Viet Nam.
In total, the project is expected to bring annual savings of nearly US$1.3 million in operational costs, according to Greening the Blue, part of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). There would also be additional savings arising from the integration of common services, such as reception, drivers, IT support, procurement, human resource management, security, and travel and banking services.
Materials and products which minimize ecological impacts will be used. UN staff will also be encouraged to adopt green behaviors in order to reduce the ecological footprint of UN agencies in Viet Nam and fulfill the ‘Deliver Green’ objective.
By maximizing the efficiency of heating and cooling systems, making the most of natural daylight and using energy-efficient lighting, energy consumption will be reduced by at least 30%. The efficient use of water would also save the UN about 30% cost.
In its case study on The UN House, Greening the Blue reported that the budget for the project is estimated at around US$8.5 million.
The construction has received generous financial commitments and pledges of donors from Spain, Norway, the UK, Finland, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, as well as contributions from the participating UN organizations and the Sustainable United Nations (SUN) program of UNEP.
“The ceremony today is a reaffirmation of the strong commitment of the Government of Viet Nam to the implementation of the Delivering as One initiative,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh.
Apart from strong commitment, the Government of Viet Nam has contributed to the financial viability of the project by granting a ten-year rent-free benefit to all UN agencies participating in the UN House project.
The Green One UN House is the sixth pillar of the “Delivering as One” reform initiative, which also includes One Plan, One Budget, One Leader, One Set of Management Practices and Once Voice.
By Thuy Linh
