Conclusions

The U.N. headquarters complex clearly needs to be renovated, and the  Secretary-General will ask member states to make key decisions in 2002  about the future of the renovation. As host country to U.N. headquarters,  the United States needs to play a major role in making these decisions if the  renovation is to proceed. However, the administration and State have not  yet developed a comprehensive U.S. position on the renovation. Assuming  the United States decides to support the renovation, it needs considerable  lead time to examine the issues, including what scope of renovation meets  U.N. and U.S. needs in the 21st century, what share of the renovation costs  would the United States be willing to provide, and what process is needed  to ensure that the construction is cost-effective and timely. One option for  examining these issues would be to establish a team comprised of experts  on construction management and U.N. issues, using appropriate  administration resources from State, the National Academy of Sciences,  and the General Services Administration.
What GAO Found

The United Nations' (U.N.) headquarters in New York clearly needs to be renovated, and the Secretary-General will ask member states to make key decisions in 2002 about the future of the renovation. As host country to U.N. headquarters, the United States needs to play a major role in making these decisions if the renovation is to proceed. However, the administration and the Department of State have not yet developed a comprehensive U.S. position on the renovation. Assuming the United States decides to support the renovation, it needs considerable lead time to examine the issues, including what scope of renovation meets U.N. and U.S. needs in the 21st century, what share of the renovation costs would the United States be willing to provide, and what process is needed to ensure that the construction is cost-effective and timely. One option for examining these issues would be to establish a team comprised of experts on construction management and U.N. issues, using appropriate administration resources from State, the National Academy of Sciences, and the General Services Administration.