A Step Towards Efficiency: Inauguration of the UN House in Uruguay

The UN House is located at 25 de Mayo and Ciudadela, at the entrance of Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja, and occupies the three floors of a historic building in the city known as Palacio Serratosa, where the sky-blue flag of the United Nations has been flying since that Friday.

In the building are located: the Office of the Resident Coordinator, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Women's Program (UN Women), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Human Rights Adviser to the High Commissioner (OHCHR), and Global Compact.

Together, nearly 50% of the fixed staff of UN Uruguay will be in the same physical place, making it a clear example of efficiency and practicality. Additionally, its meeting rooms and common spaces will be available for use by the entire United Nations System. It will be a place of permanent meeting and obligatory reference for all partners and allies working with the UN. This contributes not only to projecting an image of the organization as a single entity (composed of different agencies, funds, and programs) but also to advancing in an efficient use of both economic and technical resources, centralizing capacities in one place.

High-ranking members of the national government and municipal governments, senators, deputies, the diplomatic corps, and other personalities of Uruguayan society attended the inauguration event, as well as representatives of UN Uruguay.

With the first floor of the Serratosa Building filled with guests, the inauguration ceremony of the UN House began. The ceremony was attended by the Vice President of the Republic, Beatríz Argimón, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Uruguay, Pablo Ruiz Hiebra, and the Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix.

"Here we are in Uruguay, with 18 UN agencies working, some permanently present, nearly 200 people working every day to help Uruguay take that leap forward in development. Economically, socially, due to its long-standing democratic history, Uruguay is an example for other countries, and it is ready to make that leap, and humbly the United Nations will be present to assist in that process," said Pablo Ruiz.

"The Secretary-General proposed a reform a few years ago that we have been working on. Part of that reform is for agencies to work much closer together, so it should not surprise anyone that we are in the same place," he noted.

"What we are inaugurating today is also a vision of how UN agencies come together and start working really closely and sharing in the day-to-day, in the stairs, in the elevator, and in all formal aspects. We are very happy for all those who have joined the UN house every day and for those who will be coming and going as they have recently," Ruiz added.

Ruiz clarified that "the UN is not inaugurating its presence in Uruguay" since "we have been here for over 70 years" and emphasized: "we will be here as long as necessary to defend the values of the organization, peace and security issues, human rights, and of course the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs."

"Consider this your home. From now on, we will meet throughout the country, but also here, which is your home," he concluded.

In turn, Jean Pierre Lacroix noted that it was "an honor and a privilege" to be present on the occasion "to inaugurate this magnificent building."

"I take this opportunity to thank Uruguay for its support to the United Nations, support for the cause of peace, with its very concrete support for our Peacekeeping operations. It is a collective effort of the entire Uruguayan society. Therefore, thanks to all of Uruguay, as a friend of the United Nations," he stated.

The closing of the ceremony was by the Vice President, Beatríz Argimón: "welcome then to this new home, in a fantastic place in our Montevideo. Greetings to the national, departmental, and diplomatic authorities who will spend their hours in these walls developing projects in which we will participate, as has been the history of these 70 years, of our relationship between Uruguay and the UN," she said.

"Today, 18 agencies are present, as Pablo Ruiz said, but they are also part of that process that we have shared. The organization has been growing and increasing its thematic axes. Its presence can be seen in the different offices that work in our country," she added.

Argimón highlighted Uruguay's high democratic adherence with the clear example that "all political parties have passed through power, and the UN programs have worked with all of us independently of the government in power."

"Because from the very beginning of the organization, we recognized the importance of it in advancing permanent improvements in our society. Improvements that have to do with the effective exercise of citizenship and its rights and also with the interpretation of the times we are going through and those to come," said the Vice President.

"It has to do with our effort to contribute to maintaining peace, in moments when episodes challenge us in the 21st century. For us, it is important to have all agencies in Uruguay and in particular to keep UN Women in Uruguay when, due to the country's graduation type, it was at risk of leaving," she added.

Likewise, Argimón emphasized that the country "wants to take that leap to development," and that is why they worked to keep UN agencies in the country: "we told the organization: to make that leap, we need these types of agencies to stay because if there is one thing we are clear about, it is that if we make that leap, it will be because we are committed to keeping our people an emblem of democracy and that the country is one of opportunities for our compatriots."

"It will be very useful to have you all together so that when we come to visit an agency, we have them all together," she concluded.

After hoisting the flag, the event concluded with the unveiling of a plaque in recognition of the country and all Uruguayans who have worked at the UN.

"Uruguay is a country committed to multilateralism, and examples like Uruguay help us dream of a more prosperous future," said Pablo Ruiz to close the emotional event.

And so, the event of the inauguration of the UN House concluded. From that day on, passersby who pass by the corner of 25 de Mayo and Ciudadela will see the sky-blue flag of the United Nations waving, a faithful symbol of our presence and work in Uruguay.

You can watch the cermony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Kw048IdAc&t=1508s