[WSIS CS-Plenary] PrepCom-3 - Info for participants [u]
Robert Guerra [c]
rguerra at lists.privaterra.org
Mon Jun 27 01:27:52 BST 2005
http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_multi.asp?lang=en&id=1620|0
Meeting room reservations
If you wish to reserve a room in the Palais des Nations for a
parallel event or meeting, please fill in
the request form (http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_multi.asp?
lang=en&id=1622|0) and send
it to: PrepCom3-Room at itu.int or fax number + 41 22 730 63 93 (before
15 September 2005)
Requests will be processed on a “first come, first serve” basis.
1 Venue
The third meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-3) of the
Tunis phase of the World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be held at the Palais
des Nations, “Salle de
l’Assemblée”1, 3rd floor, building A, Place des Nations, 1211
Geneva 10, from 19-30 September
2005.
2 Participation
The WSIS PrepCom-3 meeting is open to:
i) Representatives of States;
ii) Observers representatives of:
Entities and organizations having received a standing invitation
to participate as observers in
the sessions and work of the United Nations General Assembly;
UN specialized agencies and other invited intergovernmental
organizations;
UN Secretariat and organs;
Associate Members of Regional Commissions;
Accredited NGOs and civil society entities ;
Accredited business sector entities (including ITU Sector Members).
Accredited media and press representatives will also have access to
the premises.
3 Accreditation process for non-governmental organizations, civil
society and business
sector entities
Information concerning the accreditation arrangements for
participation of non-governmental
organizations, civil society and business entities is available on
the WSIS website at:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/participation/accreditation/index.html.
Deadline for accreditation requests for PrepCom-3 and the Tunis
Summit is 8 August 2005.
1 For information on entering the Palais des Nations and the location
of the “Salle de l’Assemblée”, see:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html Note: Participants
carrying baggage must enter the Palais des Nations through the Pregny
Gate
entrance.
2
Document WSIS-II/PC-3/ADM/1-E
14 June 2005
Original: English
WSIS Executive Secretariat
INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS
Tunis phase of WSIS, PrepCom-3, 19-30 September 2005, Geneva
- 2 -
WSIS-II/PC-3/ADM/1-E
4 Fellowships for LDC participants and civil society representatives
At PrepCom-3, a limited number of fellowships will be available to
government representatives
from developing countries (with special emphasis on least developed
countries, LDCs) as well as
for representatives from civil society. Information concerning the
conditions and procedures for
these fellowships is available on the WSIS website at:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc3/index.html
5 Press
Media accreditation to the WSIS PrepCom-3 meeting is required in
order to obtain a media badge
and thereby gain admission to the meeting. Media accreditation will
open on 15 July 2005. The
procedure and form will be available at http://www.itu.int/wsis/
newsroom/2/pc3/. More media
information on the meeting will be available from mid-August at the
same address.
Media badges for PrepCom-3 will be available from Thursday, 15
September 2005 (opening hours:
0830-1200 &1330-1700) at the WSIS Media accreditation desk of the
Montbrillant Building of ITU
Headquarters2. Please note that the confirmation letter sent upon
acceptance of media accreditation
should be presented at the desk together with one form of photo
identification, in order to receive a
WSIS Media badge.
6 Provisional timetable
The provisional timetable of PrepCom-3 will be published in due
course on the WSIS website at:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc3/index.html
7 Working hours
Working hours are as follows: 19-30 September: 10:00-13:00 &
15:00-18:00 hours.
8 Swiss entry visas
Participants requiring a visa in order to enter Switzerland are
reminded that they must obtain the
visa before traveling to Switzerland. Persons from countries in which
Switzerland is not
represented (by an Embassy or Consulate) must obtain their visas in a
third country.
The Swiss authorities have introduced new measures concerning visas.
Visas are no longer issued at
the airport, other than in exceptional circumstances to persons from
countries in which Switzerland
has no representation (Embassy or Consulate), and then solely on
presentation of documentary
evidence, such as a mission order from their administration or an
official letter of invitation, to the
effect that the person concerned is attending a meeting organized
under the auspices of ITU.
Visa support
The ITU Secretariat can provide administrative support for
participants who have difficulty in
obtaining a visa. An official request signed by the responsible
person of the entity to be represented
should be submitted to the ITU Secretariat (fax No. +41 22 730 6443)
providing applicant details as
follows:
• PrepCom-3 ID Number
• First name, Last name
• Date of birth
2 For the location of the ITU Montbrillant building, see: http://
www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html
- 3 -
WSIS-II/PC-3/ADM/1-E
• Passport number, date of issue, date of expiry
Requests must be submitted on official headed paper, must be signed
and stamped by the entity to
be represented, and must be accompanied by a copy of the national
passport of the applicant. Your
request will be processed subject to receipt of the above-mentioned
information at least 15 days
before departure.
Neither ITU nor the WSIS Executive Secretariat can intervene to
assist with requests to have entry
visas to Switzerland issued at the airport.
9 Registration
Pre-registration is strongly advised in order to avoid delays upon
arrival at the meeting.
Advance registration
Registration for PrepCom-3 will begin on 15 August 2005. Participants
should be registered on-line
at http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc3/index.html by Designated
Focal Points for participation
in the WSIS preparatory process and the Summit. The username and
password required to access
the on-line system and which was provided to the Designated Focal
Point of your Government,
organization or entity, for PrepCom-2 is still valid for PrepCom-3.
On-site registration and badging
The registration and badging desk will be located at the ITU
Montbrillant building and will be
open at the following times:
Thursday, 15 and Friday, 16 September 2005
Monday-Friday, 19-23 and 26-30 September 2005 0830 to 1200 and 1330
to 1700 hours
Pre-registered persons are requested to proceed to the registration
desk and present an official
identity document (e.g. passport or national identity card) to obtain
their badge.
Persons who have not registered before the event should proceed to
the registration desk where they
will be required to produce documentary evidence attesting to their
employer (name of
Administration or provisionally accredited entity/organization they
are representing and its address)
in order to obtain their badge. A special registration desk will be
reserved for accredited media
representatives (please refer to section 5).
There is no registration fee for PrepCom-3. Airfare, hotel and
miscellaneous expenses shall be
borne by the participant.
Access to UNOG (Palais des Nations)3
All participants need an official badge and personal identity
document with photo to enter the Palais
des Nations.
Participants without hand luggage may access the building through the
Place des Nations and
Pregny gates. Participants carrying hand luggage (briefcases,
laptops) may access the building
through the Pregny gate only. Suitcases are not permitted.
10 Documentation
Official documents for PrepCom-3 will be available in Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish.
All delegates to WSIS-II/PrepCom-3 will receive a set of official
documents upon registration at the
Montbrillant building (ITU). Official and administrative documents
will be available in 6
3 For PC-3 access map, see: http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html
- 4 -
WSIS-II/PC-3/ADM/1-E
(EFSACR) and 3 (EFS) working languages, respectively. Subsequent
documentation will be made
available in the meeting room(s). All official documents will be
posted on the WSIS-II/PrepCom-3
website.
11 Interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and
Spanish in the plenary and sub-committee meetings. Interpretation in
French, English and Spanish
is available for major civil society meetings.
12 Seating arrangements
Seating will follow the UN practice. Each State will have two seats
at table and two seats behind in
the plenary hall of the meeting. Observers will have one seat each.
Additional free seating will be
available at the back of the room and on the balcony. Seating in the
plenary and other meeting
room(s) will be in the English alphabetical order.
13 Parallel events
Parallel events at PrepCom-3 can be organized by Governments,
International Organizations and
accredited civil society and business entities. These events should
focus on Prepcom-3 and/or WSIS
issues in general. For each event the organizer should complete the
request form for room
reservation (see section 14).
Participants to parallel events need a badge to enter the Palais des
Nations. Participants who are not
from an accredited entity (e.g. guest speakers) must be registered,
preferably in advance and online,
by the Designated Focal Point of the event organizer, in order to
obtain a WSIS badge and
have access to the Palais des Nations.
For detailed information on registration and access to the Palais des
Nations in Geneva (UNOG),
refer to section 9.
The list of the parallel events of PrepCom-3 will be made available
on the WSIS website.
14 Meeting room reservations
If you wish to reserve a room in the Palais des Nations for a
parallel event or meeting, please fill in
the request form (http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_multi.asp?
lang=en&id=1622|0) and send
it to: PrepCom3-Room at itu.int or fax number + 41 22 730 63 93 (before
15 September 2005)
Requests will be processed on a “first come, first serve” basis.
15 Cloakroom facility
A self-service cloakroom is available in Hall 13/15 of the Palais de
Nations. The area is not
monitored and neither the UN, the ITU nor the WSIS Executive
Secretariat can be held responsible
for any loss or theft, which may occur.
16 Hotel room reservations
Participants are expected to make their own accommodation
arrangements. A list of hotels in
Geneva and the surrounding area that accord special rates to
participants of UN meetings is
available at the WSIS website at: http://www.itu.int/wsis/practical/
travel.html
17 Climate
The climate in Geneva in September is moderate, with daytime
temperatures averaging 15 – 23º C.
- 5 -
WSIS-II/PC-3/ADM/1-E
18 Electrical appliances
The electrical current in Switzerland is 220 V/50 Hz.
19 Public transport
To call a taxi, dial 022 33 141 33. Buses 5, 8, 11, 14, 18, 28, F, V
and Z stop at Place des Nations,
as well as trams 13 and 15. Tickets must be bought at the bus and
tram stops (correct change only)
before boarding the bus or tram. A standard ticket for the Geneva
city area costs 3.00 Swiss francs.
Weekly passes valid for buses, trams, boat taxis (mouettes) and
regional trains are available. Buses
18 and 28 connect to the airport from the Place des Nations. For more
information, see:
http://www.tpg.ch/Internet+TPG/Anglais/EHomepage/Accueil.htm
Trains are available from Cornavin station, connected by buses 5, 11,
8, F, V and Z as well as
Trams 13 and 15. The closest train station is Sécheron, next to WMO
and Jardin Botanique from
where Regional trains run to Cornavin and Nyon. For more information:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/
20 Parking
Parking restrictions are in force in the streets adjacent to the
Palais des Nations. To avoid fines,
participants are advised to respect these restrictions, particularly
in the area adjacent to the Palais
des Nations main entrance. Limited parking facilities will be made
available in the surrounding area
and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
21 Banking
Two UBS banks are located in the Palais des Nations: 1) door 6,
building S: open from Monday to
Friday 8.30-16.30; 2) door 41, building E, open: 8.30-2.30 and
13.30-16.30. For the location, see:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html
22 Post office
The post office is located at Door 6, building S. Only UN stamps may
be used here. Opening hours:
8.30-17.00. For the location, see: http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/
venue.html
23 Cafés and Restaurants
For information on the location of the cafes, bars and restaurants in
the Palais des Nations, see:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html
--
Robert Guerra <rguerra at privaterra.org>
Managing Director, Privaterra <http://www.privaterra.org>
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