Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is making one of its largest-ever infrastructure investments in Africa since its inception besides peacekeeping, with Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres visiting Kenya next week to mark a nearly USD 340 million expansion of its Nairobi headquarters ¡ª a move that brings the United Nations closer to the people it serves.
The Secretary-General will join President William Samoei Ruto of the Republic of Kenya on Monday 11 May at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON) for the groundbreaking of a major new conference facility and inauguration of modern office buildings, significantly expanding the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s operational footprint in Africa. Approved by Member States through the General Assembly, the investment will transform Nairobi into one of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s most significant global hubs.
Modern Infrastructure for a Changing World
The investment includes the now completed replacement of aging office buildings dating back to the 1970s with modern, climate-resilient, and fully accessible facilities, while reducing long-term operational costs and improving efficiency, supporting the accommodation of rising staff numbers.
The Nairobi expansion reflects a broader shift: bringing multilateral decision-making closer to the regions most affected by global challenges. It includes new modern, permanent, and climate-resilient office blocks (US$ 66.2 million) and new upgraded conferencing facilities (US$ 265.7 million) that will increase the number of meeting rooms from 14 to 30, and seating capacity from 2,000 to 9,000 delegates, including a 1,600-seat Assembly Hall, positioning Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON as the third largest Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ global hub after New York and Geneva, the fourth being Vienna. In addition, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Refugee Agency (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR) has invested (US$ 11.2 million) in new office blocks at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON.
As the only Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretariat headquarters in the Global South, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON has seen a steady expansion of mandates, personnel, and global functions ¡ª with more than 4,000 personnel and 88 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ offices currently based at the Gigiri complex. Overall, there are almost 6,000 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel in Kenya and approximately 10,000 dependents from Kenya and neighboring countries.
Kenya¡¯s Role at the Center of a Growing Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Footprint
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s presence in Nairobi is rooted in Kenya¡¯s longstanding support for multilateralism. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Gigiri Complex sits on 140 acres of land donated by the Government of Kenya ¡ª the largest land contribution made by any host country to the Organization.
Today, Nairobi hosts one of the most complex Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ ecosystems globally, supporting operations across more than 160 countries and serving as a hub for climate action, development, and humanitarian coordination.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Mrs Zainab Hawa Bangura, said: ¡°This is a defining moment for the United Nations in Africa. This investment aligns our presence with where global challenges ¡ª and solutions ¡ª are increasingly concentrated. Nairobi is not only a host city; it is a strategic centre for delivering the United Nations¡¯ work in the 21st century.¡±
During his visit, the Secretary-General will also engage in high-level discussions with Kenya¡¯s leadership and participate in regional dialogues, including the Africa Forward Summit,reinforcing the United Nations¡¯ commitment to advancing peace, sustainable development, and climate action across Africa.
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Note to editors:
About Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON:
- The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Gigiri Complex, spanning 140 acres, was made possible through Kenya¡¯s generosity. In 1972, the Government of Kenya donated 100 acres to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP). In 1975, an additional 40 acres were donated to support the establishment of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat are the only Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ entity headquarters in the Global South. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women have moved some of their global operations to Nairobi, while their headquarters remain in New York.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON was created in 1996 to provide service to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat, and since then has expanded its client and service portfolio. Service delivery is Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON¡¯s core mandate.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON is currently providing administrative services (human resources, financial management, and procurement support) globally to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Habitat, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Resident Coordinator System and other Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ offices in 166 countries.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON¡¯s strategic geographic positioning in Kenya (in East Africa) places it in a time zone that enables near-seamless coordination with offices in Asia, Europe, the Americas and across Africa. Further, due to the weather, cooling and heating costs for buildings is zero.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵON stands as a model for institutional sustainability, being the first and only Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ headquarters to attain ISO 14001:2015 environmental certification¡ªdemonstrating concrete commitment to green operations and climate-conscious infrastructure, in line with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General¡¯s commitment to environmental sustainability.
- In addition, Nairobi is the first pilot of the Common Back Office (CBO), a key component of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Efficiency Agenda which is a core pillar in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General¡¯s Management Reform. As part of the CBO, across Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Kenya now, several operational services have been combined, for the first time, in a one-stop-shop. Those services include administration, information technology, human resources, logistics, and procurement.
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Email: kanhema@un.org
