U.N. complex breaks budget
By Betsy Pisik
Washington Times
July 12, 2007
NEW YORK — A new audit has found that renovating the iconic U.N. headquarters building is already $148 million over budget, long before the dirt has been shoveled.
Delays and design changes to the nearly $2 billion project have created the initial cost overrun, according to a report from the U.N. Board of Auditors, which further finds that the United Nations has yet to undertake important pre-construction surveys.
The auditors also found that the organization has been slow in recruiting staff, noting that the executive director's office has been vacant for 26 of the past 36 months.
"A range of events account for that delay, including the time taken by the General Assembly to reach a decision on the project, the addition to the project of new options that increased its complexity, the inadequate planning schedule and the vacancy of the Executive Director," says the report, which was posted this week without fanfare on the Web site of the U.N. office overseeing the project (www.un.org/cmp).
A February analysis from the U.S. Congress' Government Accountability Office found similar concerns, but estimated the costs were over budget by $128 million after likely cost-savings during construction.
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Senator Tom Coburn
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
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