Speech by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General

 Working Group on Headquarters Premises ( CWG-HQP ) : Opening Remarks

22 February 2016, Geneva, Switzerland

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Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning and on behalf of the Secretary-General I welcome you to this the third and final meeting of the Working Group on Options for the Union's Headquarters Premises over the Long Term, both here in the room as well as those online.

Just to remind you that originally there were four options for consideration:

• Option 1: a replacement building
• Option 2: renovation of the HQ buildings
• Option 3: long-term rental of HQ premise
• Option 4: HQ relocation.

There remain two options: replacement of the Varembé building (in two scenarios); or general renovation of all buildings.

I believe we have now provided you with sufficient detail on these remaining options for you to make a recommendation to Council-16, recognising the urgency placed on this issue by the Plenipotentiary Conference. Based on your report Council has been empowered by the Plenipotentiary Conference to decide on the appropriate course of action to meet the requirements for the headquarters premises, including the administrative and financial arrangements needed to implement its decision.

The secretariat has endeavoured to estimate the cost of these remaining options with the help of external experts - who have been invited to this meeting and are available to answer your questions. I would also like to thank the host country for its collaboration in preparing for this meeting.

I am pleased to say that as a result of some innovative approaches costs have come down substantially from the figures previously presented. The estimate of the lowest cost scenario (CHF 126.5M) offers a significant reduction to the CHF 240Million proposed to PP-14 (if updated for costs of relocation, interest and asbestos disposal). Also this cost does not take full account of the potential market value of the Tower.

I assure you the Secretariat will provide you with all the necessary support and assistance to ensure a successful conclusion to your work, as we very much hope to achieve a final decision on this matter at this year's Council.

The Secretary-General wishes to close the discussion of this issue at Council-16.

I will close by wishing you a successful and productive meeting.

Thank you for your attention.