Dignitaries cut ribbon at the opening ceremony of the United Nations premises at ITower in Songdo, Incheon, Friday. They include Kilaparti Ramakrishna, at the podium, director of UNESCAP-ENEA, and Han Seung-soo, ninth from left, former prime minister. Song Young-gil, Incheon mayor, and Noeleen Heyzer, UN undersecretary-general and executive secretary of UNESCAP, are on Han’s left.

The Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Shin Dong-ik, the Mayor of Incheon City, Mr. Song Young-Gil and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, inaugurated new United Nations premises on 31 May 2013 in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

The new Korean location consolidated four United Nations offices: the ESCAP East and North-East Asia Subregional Office, the ESCAP Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT), the UNISDR Office for Northeast Asia together with the Global Education and Training Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as the Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific of UNCITRAL, with the further addition of the Green Climate Fund in the near future.

In Asia and the Pacific, East and North-East Asia represents economic dynamism based on innovation, knowledge, good policies, and investment in human capital. The high rate of intra-regional trade builds a complex web of economic interactions resulting in shared prosperity.

However, the subregion also faces significant diversities and disparities in economic development among its members. It is a subregion that is now rethinking its development paradigm and investing in low carbon green growth.

“In this time of change, the East and North-East Asia subregion will benefit from a comprehensive multilateral mechanism for strengthening subregional and regional cooperation, for addressing transboundary challenges, and for harnessing partnerships and development solutions to meet new challenges,” said Dr. Heyzer at the ceremony.

“It is my hope that this newly consolidated UN office will play a catalytic role, acting as a development gateway for both state and non-state partners.”

The premises are located in I-Tower, Songdo, the recently developed city on the outskirts of Seoul.

New United Nations Premises launched in Incheon, Republic of Korea