UN Secretary General António Guterres has described the expansion of the United Nations complex in Nairobi as a symbol of Africa’s rising importance in global governance.
Speaking on Monday during the inauguration of the United Nations Nairobi Expansion Project in Gigiri, Guterres said the nearly Shh43.9 billion investment reflects the UN’s commitment to inclusive multilateralism and sustainable development in Africa.
The expansion project, valued at approximately Sh43.9 billion is among the United Nations’ largest infrastructure investments in Africa.
Addressing Kenyans, President William Ruto, diplomats and UN officials, Guterres highlighted that the groundbreaking ceremony for a new assembly hall and the inauguration of new office blocks demonstrated Africa’s growing importance within the UN system.
“The groundbreaking ceremony for the new assembly hall and inauguration of new office buildings are symbols of our collective ambition and the reaffirmation of the central role that Africa and Kenya in particular play in the life and future of the United Nations,” he stated.
Guterres described Nairobi as central to the organisation’s global operations rather than a peripheral office.
“Nairobi is neither a satellite nor an outpost. It is a pillar, the only United Nations headquarters in Africa and in the global south,” he said.
He traced the history of the Gigiri complex to the 1970s when Kenya hosted UNEP and UN-Habitat, saying the campus had since evolved into “a dynamic hub of multilateral action”.
“Nairobi is a place where global challenges meet regional solutions, where innovation is born and where the future of multilateralism is being shaped every day,” he added.
According to the UN, the project includes modern office blocks worth Sh8.5 billion and upgraded conference facilities valued at Sh34.3 billion.
The upgraded facilities will increase the number of meeting rooms from 14 to 30 while expanding delegate capacity from 2,000 to 9,000 people, including a new 1,600-seat assembly hall.
Guterres said the development represented more than physical infrastructure.
“What has been achieved here is not just buildings, it’s a blueprint for the future,” he explained.
The UN Secretary General highlighted the project’s sustainability goals, saying the offices will be the UN’s first net-zero buildings powered year-round through on-site solar energy.
“The expanded conference facilities will have further solar installations, bringing the complex to energy neutrality by 2029,” he said.
The UN boss also said environmental restoration was part of the project, revealing that nearly 3,000 indigenous trees had already been planted around the Gigiri complex, with another 3,000 expected as construction progresses.
“The dryland forest is also returning to Gigiri,” he noted, adding that every building within the project had been designed with “universal accessibility at its core”, while noting that in just two years, the expanded complex would host world leaders confronting the world’s most pressing crises.
“They will gather in a new amphitheater carved into African soil and surrounded by the canyon forest.”
The UN chief linked the Nairobi expansion to wider institutional reforms taking place as the organisation approaches its 80th anniversary.
“As we mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, we are reimagining how we work, how we deliver, how we live,” he said.
Guterres described Africa as a driver of solutions, a source of innovation and the voice of moral clarity.
However, the UN Chief warned that the continent continued to face barriers including unjust borrowing costs and crushing debt burdens alongside unequal representation in global institutions.
“True solidarity with Africa means helping remove those obstacles,” he said, adding that it also means “reforming the institutions of global governance so African countries have the representation, the voice and the decision making power they deserve.”
Guterres concluded by thanking Kenya for hosting the UN complex and praised those involved in delivering the project.
“May these new spaces inspire bold ideas, enduring partnerships and lasting impact.Thank you very much.”