Bonn, 11 July - Chancellor Angela Merkel and Secretary General Kofi Annan inaugurated the UN Campus today. Following a ceremony in the International Congress Centre Bonn, the Chancellor and the Secretary General cut a ribbon before visiting the restored former House of Representatives. After the UN flag was hoisted, Chancellor Merkel assigned the building officially to the United Nations.

Mr. Sigmar Gabriel, Federal Minister for the Environment, and Ms. Bärbel Dieckman, Lady Mayor of Bonn, both stressed the commitment of Germany to the world. Expanding the UN Campus strengthens the seat of the United Nations in Bonn as a platform for sustainable development worldwide. Chancellor Merkel defined the attraction of new UN-agencies as an external objective of the German Government. “Water, soil, biodiversity and energy are limited resources. It is in the interest of the German Government to host international organizations capable of acting and authorized to make decisions,” she stated.

The UN Secretary General acknowledged that German support for the world Organization was the centre of Germany’s foreign policy. He paid tribute to Germany’s commitment towards assuming mandates entrusted by UN member states in various regions of the world.

The hospitality afforded by both the Government of Germany and the City of Bonn have made Bonn one of the Organization’s most attractive and rewarding UN duty stations. The Secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) and its Agreements AEWA, ASCOBANS and EUROBATS are now re-united in the UN-Campus after more than two years apart. Pointing out the importance of Bonn to UN activities with a focus on sustainable development the Secretary General added: “The breadth of work that will be carried out here is remarkable. It is from Bonn that the United Nations leads the world’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. And it is from Bonn that we seek to protect migratory animals and endangered species.”

In the afternoon, the Secretary General invited UN staff to a meeting in the International Congress Centre Bonn: Before answering questions, the Secretary General took the opportunity to inform staff on progress made with UN reforms. A new Peacebuilding Commission has been set up to deal with regional and international crises. The UN have also launched a Democracy Fund and strengthened their emergency relief fund. In the process the Secretary General gave his opinion on issues such as human resources policy, career building for UN staff and gender equity.

He concluded: “We are pressing ahead with the reform effort. My goal remains building a more transparent, accountable and effective instrument of service to humankind.”