Remarks at the inauguration of the new offices of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

I think it is a pleasure to join you all in this landmark skyscraper in the Chrysler Building for a landmark event in the history of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). I must say it has been quite an eye-opening experience for me to come from the UN Headquarters building, with its traditional workplaces, to this open office plan.

One might say that you now inhabit the old and the new at the same time: the old, because your work will continue to involve long-standing challenges such as poverty and conflict; and the new, because these premises reflect the emphasis in today's global economy on innovation, transparency and the free flow of communications.

UNOPS has grown tremendously, as we heard this morning, in both the number of staff and the value of projects they are administering. This means that Governments and people are continuing to place their trust in the UN system, recognizing the unique role we can play and the vital services we can provide despite our own limitations. I want to thank you all for the hard work you are doing for the UN development community.

These projects, more than any other debates or meetings, are our main interface with the global public. Each and every project is important not only for what it offers but also for what it does for the credibility of the Organization. That makes each and every one of you a key emissary of UN value and effectiveness.

This is a crucial time in the history of the United Nations. Last year's Millennium Summit reaffirmed the place of the United Nations in the international landscape. But it also set out an ambitious agenda and raised expectations. I am sure that these new premises will help you all to work even more productively in the future, and I want to thank you for what you do, and wish you all the best for the coming year.

Thank you very much, my dear friends. *****