The United Nations in Vietnam held a ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Green One UN House in Hanoi on January 21.
The ceremony was co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam.
Speaking at the event, Vinh reaffirmed the Vietnamese Government’s strong commitment to the Delivering as One initiative.
“When completed, the Green One UN House will be an everlasting symbol of cooperation between Vietnam and the United Nations,” he said.
Mehta expressed her thanks to the Vietnamese Government and donors for their support in constructing the house. She said the event marks a significant step in realising the one-of-a-kind UN presence globally.
“The Green One UN House will strengthen the UN’s efforts to ‘deliver as one’ in Vietnam and will make us a stronger and more effective UN Country Team,” she stressed.
Importantly, as an eco-friendly building constructed to meet high environmental standards, it will also allow the UN to reduce its environmental footprint, she added.
The Green One UN House is part of the ‘Delivering as One’ reform initiative in Vietnam. The building, at 304 Kim Ma Street, will house all UN staff in Hanoi, thereby improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the UN in Vietnam.
It will enable the UN to integrate various operational services, such as general administration, security, ICT, procurement and HR management to achieve substantial savings.
The house will be completed in the first quarter of 2014./.
