UN reports progress in planning for headquarters overhaul
UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) — The United Nations said Thursday that significant progress has been made in preparations for the overhaul of the UN Headquarters since the General Assembly approved a 1.9 billion-U.S. dollar accelerated strategy in December.
Michael Adlerstein, executive director of the project, known officially as the Capital Master Plan (CMP), told reporters that all necessary swing space for the temporary relocation of 5,000 displaced staff members has now been secured.
Design work for the interior fit-out is also near completion, he added, while the outfitting of the swing space offices was already under way.
Besides, ground breaking for the construction of a temporary venue for international meetings, the most visible piece of the intricate five-year renovation project, will take place in May.
The temporary conference building will be built on the lawn area north of the UN complex between First Avenue and the East River, and will replace the General Assembly, Security Council and other meeting spaces in turn.
It will also house the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and related staff throughout the renovation, Adlerstein added.
Other staff will be accommodated in newly-leased space in Midtown and Long Island City, as well as redistributed throughout current Headquarters facilities. The largest swing space, on Madison Ave and 46th Street, will take in 1,820 workers.
Library resources and staff will remain in place in the Dag Hammarskjold Library for the duration of the renovations, he said.
The Capital Master Plan aims to bring the five-decade old Secretariat and adjacent buildings, which are plagued by leaks, safety violations and outdated systems, up to code and to high standards of efficiency and environmental sustainability.
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