Summary: March 16, 2004: EU Presidency Statement - Statement by Ms. Margaret Stanley, Second Secretary, on behalf of the European Union, on Item 121, the Capital Master Plan (New York)
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, the Stabilization and Association Process Countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway,
declare that they align themselves with this statement.
The European Union believes that the Capital Master Plan project is of major strategic importance for the United Nations.
The safety and security of all those who work at the UN HQ is our primary concern. There is universal agreement that the UN Secretariat is in urgent need of major repair, which is based on well-established concerns relating to building and safety codes, security, hazardous materials, as well as the need for universal accessibility and energy efficiency.
The European Union has taken note of the provisional offer of the Host Country as outlined in document A/58/729.
By making its proposal, the U.S. also acknowledges the importance of this project.
However, the EU would wish to express its strong concern that the US proposal would result in a more than doubling of the cost of the project. This greatly increased cost would have to be borne by all Member States.
The European Union is of the view that the United States, as Host Country, bears important, unique responsibilities towards the United Nations and therefore also for the successful implementation of the Capital Master Plan.
We recall the understanding of the Fifth Committee, during its negotiations which resulted in resolution 57/292, that the US offer would not be in the form of an interest-bearing loan.
Accordingly, the European Union continues to believe that the U.S. should provide a substantial portion of the funding for the CMP.
We also wish to encourage the Secretary-General to continue to explore all financing options for the funding of the CMP including, inter alia, the seeking of private contributions and the setting up of a Financial Advisory Board.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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