This gift is a series of panels of lacewood, take from Australian Native Silky Oak Trees, these panels are in the office of the President of the General Assembly. The wood is glossy, warm brown with reflective waving patterns across the surface.

The species of trees, from which Australian lacewood derives can be the Northern (Cardwellia sublimis) and Southern (Grevillea robusta) Silky Oak. However, the term lacewood is more commonly used in Northern America and describes wood that has features that resemble lace. Common characteristics of this material is its patterned surface, soft texture and oak-like appearance. It’s often used for doors, panelling, rails, and other interior elements.  

 Australia is known for its unique flora found in expansive, ecologically singular forests and bushland. The use of the materials native to the Australian landscape reminds those who use the rooms of the precarity of the ecology of earth as well as the beauty and singularity of its flora, and the importance of protecting it.

The gift was presented on 27 March 1953 by the Permanent Representative of Australia, W.D. Forsyth, to the United Nations. He said the gift is “an expression of the loyalty of Australia to the objectives of the United Nations.”

 This Australian lacewood paneling was gifted to the United Nations as part of the initial donation from countries for the furnishing of the UNHQ in the 1950s. This lacewood panel set was in storage from 2004 to 2012 and during the UNHQ renovation (2009 – 2015) it was repositioned in the office of the President of the General Assembly.