Green One UN House in Vietnam opens

The Green One UN House is the first building in Vietnam to be awarded the Golden Lotus certificate by the Vietnam Green Building Council.

On the morning of May 23, in Hanoi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Green One UN House in Vietnam. This is the first UN building in the world to be granted a Green certificate.

The Green One UN House is the first building in Vietnam to be awarded the Golden Lotus certificate by the Vietnam Green Building Council.

Delegates attending the inauguration ceremony of the Green House.

The Green One UN House is part of the UN's efforts to "green" the UN in response to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call in June 2007 for more efficient energy use and elimination of wasteful practices. It is a renovated, reused and recycled structure of an old building, avoiding demolition, minimizing costs and waste.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, Ms. Pratibha Mehta, said: In the coming years, the Green One House will help the UN unify its actions and Green Action. Efforts to achieve development results in a more consistent, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked the Vietnamese Government for its continued support for the construction of this project. Mr. Ban Ki-moon said: "The United Nations House in Vietnam is the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly office building in the region. This is also a testament to the consistency and cooperation between United Nations organizations.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the ceremony.

The Green One UN House has been a key element in the reform of the United Nations in Viet Nam since 2005, bringing UN agencies from 10 different locations in Hanoi together in one modern and efficient building. The house is designed to increase coordination through the “task-based” initiative, where staff from different UN agencies sit together according to their tasks to achieve common results.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed his delight at the inauguration of the world’s first Green One UN House. This is the first time all UN agencies in Vietnam will have a common house. This clearly demonstrates the special cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the UN and the valuable support of many development partners.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh speaks at the ceremony.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Green One UN House is built on the solid foundation of the good cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the United Nations over the past four decades. This event is also a milestone in the implementation of the One UN Initiative in Vietnam.

The Green One UN House is also a demonstration of Viet Nam’s strong commitment to contributing to the activities of the United Nations. It also demonstrates our commitment to the reform of the UN development system. Viet Nam is determined to enhance the coordination, coherence and effectiveness of the UN system.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh also said that with the inauguration of the Green House and many measures to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Vietnam is actively joining hands with the international community for "global action" in 2015, a pivotal year as the Secretary-General has called for.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Green One UN House.

"I believe that the UN House will be a strong manifestation of the Vietnam-UN cooperation relationship. This will truly be a second home for all UN agencies," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized./.

According to Vov.vn