AGENCIES under the United Nations are planning to move their Myanmar regional offices from Yangon International Hotel to Traders Hotel in the first week of September, sources in the hotel industry said last week.

The organisations include the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO), UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP), Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Inter-national Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Or-ganisation for Migration (IOM).

“These organisations are moving into Traders Hotel because it provides excellent security, including plenty of security cameras and trained guards,” the source said.

A spokesperson from the UN said the reason for the move was problems with communications infrastructure at Yangon International Hotel. “Regional officers from the UN and WHO chose Traders based on the security they can provide for staff. We are going to take four floors from the 12th to 15th floors. We are now getting organised to make the move,” he said.

Another hotel industry source agreed that the main selling point of Traders Hotel was its security guarantees.

“Many hotels applied to host the UN offices but they chose Traders because it offers the best security. Unauthorised people will be kept off the floors where their offices are located,” he said.

He said the hotel has thrown in other perks as well, including a discounted buffet for UN employees, special car parking and housekeeping services.

“The offices will have technical support for phone and internet use. They will need special communication connections but the hotel already has the capacity to handle them,” he said.

The source said the UN signed a four-year contract for the office space. The UN and Traders would not comment on the contracted price for the space but industry sources said it could be in the US$50,000 a month range.