Secretary-General Calls New UN House in Ashgabat Powerful Symbol of Turkmenistan’s Strong Partnership with United Nations

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks as prepared for delivery at the opening of the new UN House with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, today:

Salam [Hello].  Sizing Bilen Dushushýanyma Örän Shat [I am glad to be with you all].

It is a great honour and a pleasure to visit Turkmenistan for the third time.  I would like to thank President Berdimuhamedov and the people of Turkmenistan for their warm welcome and hospitality on each of these occasions.

This morning, we had a very successful opening of the Global Sustainable Transport Conference.  We are deeply grateful to Turkmenistan for taking the initiative to host this Conference and for its generosity in organizing such an important gathering.

I have very fond memories of my previous visits to this beautiful country.  When I was here last June, President Berdimuhamedov announced that you would provide a building for the UN agencies here in Turkmenistan.  Now we can see that you not only kept your promise, you have provided us with an impressive and beautiful structure.

I know your Government has worked tirelessly with the UN over the past 16 months to renovate the building to ensure it meets the highest standards.  This is a very big building of more than 5,000 square metres in a total site area that is twice as large.  This new UN House is a great example for other countries around the world.

I thank President Berdimuhamedov for your commitment to providing this building and your support to its maintenance in the coming years.  This very solid and grand structure is a powerful symbol of the strong partnership between Turkmenistan and the United Nations.

We have many members of the UN family working with the Government and people of Turkmenistan, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, together with UNDP [United Nations Development Programme], UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization], UNFPA [United Nations Population Fund], UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund], WHO [World Health Organization], UNODC [United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime], IOM [International Organization for Migration], UN-Women [United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women] and UNDSS [United Nations Department of Safety and Security], as well as the World Bank.  They are all looking forward to moving into this building.

I count on our staff to open the doors of this UN House wide to many partners, especially from civil society.  By supporting the activities of civil society, securing human rights and promoting fundamental freedoms, we can realize true progress.  This also demands full equality and true empowerment for women and girls.

Thank you, Mr. President, for making today possible through your very generous support.  Now I am privileged to officially cut the ribbon.  Sag boluung [Thank you].