Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK1372
2006-07-17 20:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

UN CAPITAL MASTER PLAN: LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE

Tags:  AORC UN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0014
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #1372 1982015
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 172015Z JUL 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9620
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001372 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC UN
SUBJECT: UN CAPITAL MASTER PLAN: LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE
FROM USG BURNHAM


UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001372

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC UN
SUBJECT: UN CAPITAL MASTER PLAN: LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE
FROM USG BURNHAM



1. Mission was requested to forward the following letter to
Secretary Rice. The letter was also faxed to IO/S.

SIPDIS

Begin text:

20 June 2006

Dear Secretary Rice,

Last week I met with Senator Coburn about the Capital Master
Plan (CMP) of the United Nations, our $1.6 billion plan to
renovate the New York headquarters campus of the UN. At that
meeting I assured the Senator that the UN is completely
committed to providing full reasonable transparency on this
important project.

I am pleased to report that we have developed new language to
be included in all future contracts of the CMP and
particularly in the massive construction management contract
we hope to award in the next six months. We worked directly
with Senator Coburn's senior staff on this language.

The next step will be inserting this language into all
contracting undertaken by the UN, not just CMP related
procurement. In addition, we will begin a process of working
to insert this language in existing contracts as well. We
will simultaneously put into place the vehicle for swiftly
promulgating all non-proprietary and security related
contracting information on UN contracting and procurement on
either the CMP or procurement service website. Information
not publicly available will be available to member states
upon request.

It is our intention that the new UN policy on transparency
will be the strongest in the world. This includes the
creation of a new Freedom of Information (FOI) office within
my bureau and a new policy on FOI requests that will be
globally recognized as "best practice."

The Secretary General is committed to making sure all aspects
of our reform effort are global best practice. UN has
already accomplished this with our new whistle-blower
protection policy called the "gold standard" for any
intergovernmental body. Our new financial disclosure
requirements exceed those of the U.S. Government, having
worked closely with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics in
developing this new policy.

Regarding the CMP, I strongly believe we have a moral
responsibility to ensure that our more than 50 years of
maintenance neglect ends this year. We must now move swiftly
to ensure that the men and women who labor here, the citizens
of New York City, and the NYC firefighters and police
officers who would come to our aid in an emergency, are not
put at irresponsible risk by our negligence.

I will let you know when the measures outlined above have
been fully implemented.

With warmest regards,
/s/
Christopher B. Burnham

End text.

BOLTON