Fifth Committee

STATEMENT BY MR CRAIG LIM, FIRST SECRETARY, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 131: PROGRAMME BUDGET: BIENNIUM 2008 - 2009 (CAPITAL MASTER PLAN), 5TH COMMITTEE, 10 NOVEMBER 2009

Mdm Chairperson,

1 I would first like to thank the Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan Project, Mr Michael Adlerstein; Controller, Mr Jun Yamazaki; the Director of External Audit of South Africa and Chairperson of the Audit Operations Committee, Board of Auditors, Mr Imran Vanker; the Chief of Policy and Oversight Coordination Service, Mr Mario Baez; and the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, Ms Susan McLurg, for introducing their respective reports this morning. My delegation would also like to take the opportunity to align itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative from Sudan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2 Singapore is pleased to note that significant progress has been made during the first year of construction of the Capital Master Plan (CMP), including the soon to be completed temporary North Lawn Building. In addition, the decision to leverage on modern "green technologies" to reduce energy and water usage, as well as the overall greenhouse emissions, in the new complex was timely, and we hope that they will deliver real dividends when they come on-line. That said, we would urge the Secretariat to endeavour to ensure that the project is indeed completed in 2013 as planned, and that the current slippages in the completion date can be made up through its proposed accelerated schedules for the renovation work.

3 Singapore is also concerned that there have been significant changes to the project design. For instance, the Secretary-General's report A/64/346 has now flagged the need to construct an interim Security Council Chamber in the General Assembly Building, arising from the decision of the Department of Safety and Security against the relocation of the Security Council to the temporary North Lawn Building. We share the ACABQ's concern that these security and space requirements were not considered adequately at an earlier stage. While we understand that the CMP is a massive undertaking for any organisation, we would strongly encourage the Secretariat to redouble its efforts to ensure better planning and coordination for the remainder of the CMP project. Further changes on this scale will add costs and delays to the CMP, which is highly undesirable as it increases the burden on member states.

4 A related point concerns the evolving parking situation in the complex. It is unfortunate that UN Secretariat staff have had to bear the heavy brunt of the reduction of available parking. We sympathise with them as national delegations have also been affected by this unfortunate circumstance. We are appreciative of the fact that following expressions of concern by several UN member states and regional groupings, the CMP design team is currently undertaking a review of the options available to address this problem. It is our hope that the Secretariat will be able to resolve this issue quickly to the satisfaction of all affected parties.

5 Finally, Singapore is pleased to note the significant reduction in the amount of second-hand smoke travelling through these corridors since the start of this current session. It is our hope that we will be able to similarly enjoy this smoke-free environment in the new UN premises. To aid in this endeavour, we would like to reiterate our earlier suggestion that dedicated smoking enclosures or spaces be created in the new premises to allow those who wish to smoke to continue to do so, but without negatively impacting upon the health of the non-smokers around them.

Mdm Chairperson,

6 My delegation is glad to see the CMP underway. We do not expect a problem-free ride, and understand that some hiccups are difficult to avoid in a project of this magnitude. We continue to adopt a practical approach, and call on all stakeholders to adopt a long-term view, and ensure that the required resources are made available to ensure the responsible and successful completion of this endeavour. Singapore stands ready to contribute meaningfully to the informal discussions that will follow, and looks forward to the move to the temporary North Lawn Building before the end of this current session. Thank you.

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