United Nations - The aging United Nations headquarters is set to undergo a $1 billion makeover, the first-ever overhaul of the landmarked but leaking complex overlooking the East River.
The seven-year project will be conducted in three phases, with about 1,000 workers temporarily relocated to buildings in Manhattan and Queens during each phase, said Alicia Barcena, U.N. undersecretary general for management. Work will begin in early 2008.
From 2009 to 2011 the General Assembly will be housed a block away from headquarters on East 46th Street. The U.N. Secretary-General and the National Security Council will remain at the main complex but in temporary space. About 4,000 people work at the U.N. headquarters, which includes three buildings.
"The signing of this agreement is a major step in making the U.N. headquarters a safer, healthier and more energy-efficient place for all of us who work here," Barcena said at a news conference Friday. "It will make it safer for hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit every year."