Influence Through Confluence
The construction of Africa’s third-largest UN o"ce compound in Dakar set to raise diplomatic clout of Senegal
Along line of buildings can be seen in Diamniadio, a new metropolis being developed 40 km east of Senegalese capital Dakar. The brand-new, intelligent city will ease congestion in the capital and will be ready in 10 years, housing an international industrial park, ministerial buildings, stadiums, recreational parks, a university, research centres, residential areas, the largest Regional Express Train (RET) station, a hospital, etc.
Senegal, a diplomatic powerhouse in Africa, is building a new House of United Nations Organisation (UNO) in Diamniadio where the 34 United Nations (UN) agencies and their 2,000 staff members will be based.
The House of UNO will be the third-largest UN office compound in Africa, after those in Nairobi, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The construction was made possible through a public-private partnership between the State of Senegal and the Envol Partenariats Sénégal company, with a cost of 102 billion CFA francs ($166.7 million).
The structure is being constructed by Weihai International Economic and Technical Cooperative Co. Ltd. This Chinese construction company specialises in engineering and building projects internationally. The company, which built the airports of Lomé in Togo and Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo, and the ministerial city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has already built in Senegal one of the two ministerial complexes of Diamniadio, which is not far from the House of UNO.
For Siaka Coulibaly, outgoing UN resident coordinator
The House of UNO, which is being constructed on a 13-hectare plot, will house all of the organisations now operating in Dakar under one roof.
in Senegal, the project, initiated and implemented by the Senegalese government, is in line with the spirit of the UN reform, which the country has supported and which aims to make the UN more effective. In fact, the continent is battling for at least one permanent seat on the UN Security Council under the direction of Senegalese President Macky Sall.
“The House of UNO will bring together all the UN agencies, both national and regional, allowing for greater coordination of UN activity in the Sahel and the entirety of West and Central Africa. This dynamic is all the more vital since the security situation in this part of the continent necessitates better coordination of interventions and integrated and inclusive approaches,” said Coulibaly.
“Aware of the significance of such an infrastructure for the UN and Senegal, I have personally committed myself over the past two years as resident coordinator to make sure that the House of UNO opens as soon as possible, with the help of the UN Country Team and in close coordination with the government,” he added.
‘One-UN’ spirit
According to Coulibaly, the new project in Senegal not only represents the country’s great commitment to the UN system, but also the close relationship between the government and the UN. “I am certain that the House of UNO will aid the entire UN system in Senegal in working more cohesively, coherently, and collaboratively in its support of the Senegalese people. Additionally, we have established an interagency task force as part of its execution, which enables us to move forward together in the spirit of ‘One-UN’ while taking into consideration all the project’s components and agency expectations.”
The House of UNO, which is being constructed on a 13-hectare plot, will house all of the organisations now operating in Dakar under one roof. The purpose of this symbolic endeavour is to demonstrate the agencies’ unity as well as their autonomy and regional and national importance.
The project is divided into four sections that are essential for the agencies to operate effectively. It will contain 1,814 workstations, a documentation centre, training workshops, conference spaces, and a hemicycle with 495 seats, among other things. The project’s goals include realising the “One-UN” vision in Senegal, fostering improved resource management and collaboration, and lowering the rental and administrative expenses incurred by UN organisations there.
The 34 UN organisations that make up the Senegal UN system employ more than 2,000 employees. These organisations are dispersed around the Dakar, some of which extend their coverage beyond Senegal to include West Africa and the Sahel. In order to offer the UN system with a home built to UN criteria, including