A sudden sunlight on the winter afternoon brought hope for success of the sixth pillar of the One UN Reform in Vietnam. The Green One UN House will assist the UN agencies in better coordination, cost effectiveness, and environmentally-friendly development. The One UN House is a joint endeavor between the Government of Vietnam, donors and the UN Country Team.
Together with Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, Norway has been one of major donors to the One UN in general and the Green One UN House in particular. From Norwegian side, H E the Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam, Ståle Risa, and Counselor Ragnhild Dybdahl attended the ceremony.
Ambassador Risa commented that he is “ very happy that we have reached this milestone whereby the Government of Vietnam, the United Nations and development partners in Vietnam move one step forward on the Delivery as One initiative in Vietnam, and that an efficient and well-functioning UN remains a Norwegian priority globally, and in Vietnam”.
On behalf of UN in Vietnam, UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta expressed her sincere appreciation to the donors for their strong support for the Green One UN House. “Today marks a significant shift from the planning stage to the realization of a one-of-a-kind UN presence globally,” she said.
The Ambassador of Spain to Vietnam spoke on behalf of the donors: “We are proud to be able to contribute to a new building that will reduce the UN’s environmental footprint in Vietnam.
The Green House will represent a model for Vietnam and other countries, setting a benchmark in the region for green office design, by demonstrating the viability of innovative, sustainable buildings.” He also encouraged all UN agencies to join the process, as well as encouraqing the partners to find an operational governance structure for the UN One Plan.
The “Delivering as One” reform in Vietnam
Vietnam is one of eight pilot countries for the “Delivering as One” initiative, and is among the first countries globally to pursue programmatic synergies through co-location and functional clustering of UN staff.
The six pillars of “Delivering as One” reform in Vietnam include One Plan, One Budget, One Leader, One Set of Management Practices, One Voice and the Green One UN House. The current One Plan outlines three broad focus areas which the UN and the Government of Vietnam will jointly implement in the period from 2012-2016. This includes supporting the Government to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; access to quality essential services and social protection; and enhanced governance and participation. Norway affirms its continued strong support for the ‘Delivering as One’ Reform Initiative in Vietnam.
