Addis Ababa (HAN) October 30, 2014 – Public diplomacy and International development news. United Nation’s New Strategic Facility Planning in Addis Ababa for the Horn of Africa and in Africa in general.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon officially inaugurated the United Nations’ New Office Facility (NOF) in Addis Ababa at the ECA Compound on Tuesday (October 28).
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that the opening of the NOF should be considered as a foundation stone for the steady and continued engagement of the UN with Ethiopia and with the people of Africa
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Executive Secretary of UN Economic Commission for Africa, Carlos Lopes, heads of UN missions, and Ambassadors.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that the opening of the NOF should be considered as a foundation stone for the steady and continued engagement of the UN with Ethiopia and with the people of Africa, adding that the completion of the facility would help the UN to deliver better services and harmonize its operations and this would contribute to the joint partnership of Africa and the UN, a partnership moving towards a future of dignity, prosperity and peace. Africa, he said, was making great progress at a time of multiple crises and numerous opportunities.
Ban Ki-moon said that Addis Ababa had now become the third largest UN duty station after New York and Geneva. The Secretary-General noted that ECA’s Africa Hall, a gift from Ethiopia, had witnessed historic events, including the founding of the Organization of African Unity more than a half century ago. Ban Ki-moon expressed his profound thanks to the Government and people of Ethiopia for the successful completion of the project, noting that it would not have happened without the provision of additional land by the government of Ethiopia.
Ban Ki-moon also pointed out that the ECA was embarking on a renovation of the Africa Hall, adding that the next decade would see the opening of a rejuvenated building. Prime Minister Hailemariam, who also spoke at the inauguration ceremony, said that a firm commitment to collective security and common development had been the signpost of Ethiopia’s foreign policy since the days of the League of Nations. It was, he said, in recognition of this long-term political will and resolve that Ethiopia, fifty years ago, had donated the first building in the ECA compound, Africa Hall.
The ECA’s presence in Addis Ababa was a demonstration of Ethiopia’s commitment to Africa’s liberation, peace and development, he said, and this inauguration ceremony was taking place at a time when the continent was showing an impressive surge of growth surges.
The Prime Minister, who noted that issues like institutional weaknesses and, today, the Ebola virus, challenged Africa’s advance towards prosperity and the continent’s development agenda, expressed his hope that the opening of the NOF would herald the consolidation and realization of the African Renaissance. The inaugural ceremony ended with the unveiling of a plaque by Prime Minister Hailemariam and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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