WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATING BODY ON THE WHO FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL Sixth session A/FCTC/INB6/DIV/4 28 January 2003
Participation of nongovernmental organizations in official or provisional official relations with WHO in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on the WHO framework convention on tobacco control 1. This information note sets out the general background to and arrangements made for participation of nongovernmental organizations in the working of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, and describes the facilities available to them during the sessions. 2. As requested in resolution WHA53.16, the Negotiating Body, at its first session, examined the question of an extended participation of nongovernmental organizations and agreed on the following points: • nongovernmental organizations in official relations with WHO should have access, as observers, to the plenary and working groups that functioned as committees of the whole; • other groups established for a particular purpose should be closed, but a limited number of nongovernmental organizations might be invited by the Chairman, with the agreement of Member States participating in those groups, to make presentations in order to clarify issues of relevance to the discussion; • time should be scheduled at the end of every morning or afternoon meeting for nongovernmental organizations to make statements in accordance with paragraph 6.1(i) of the WHO Principles Governing Relations between the World Health Organization and Nongovernmental Organizations; • copies of statements should be provided to the Chairman sufficiently in advance to ensure their review.1 The Negotiating Body also agreed to encourage the Executive Board to explore ways of expediting the review of applications for official relations from organizations seeking the necessary standing during the negotiations. 3. The Executive Board, by decision EB107(2), authorized the Chairman of the Executive Board, acting jointly with the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Nongovernmental Organizations, to
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Document A/FCTC/INB1/PL/SR/9.
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admit provisionally nongovernmental organizations into official relations with WHO. This decision will remain applicable, unless terminated or revised by the Board, until adoption of the framework convention. The facility established by this decision will apply to nongovernmental organizations that request official relations solely or also for the purpose of participating in the work of the Negotiating Body, subject to the following conditions: (1) nongovernmental organizations must be in working relations with WHO at the time of submission of their application, so that approximately two years of working relations will have elapsed by the time the Executive Board formally reviews their applications under point (3) below, and must otherwise meet the criteria established in section 3 of the Principles Governing Relations between the World Health Organization and Nongovernmental Organizations; (2) the mandates of the nongovernmental organizations concerned must be relevant to the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body; (3) the Executive Board will review nongovernmental organizations in provisional official relations at its January session subsequent to their admission into provisional official relations, for the purpose of confirming or terminating such relations in accordance with normal procedures. 4. Accordingly, and based on the practices adopted with reference to the above-mentioned Principles, arrangements have been made as set out below.
NOTIFICATION OF PARTICIPATION IN THE NEGOTIATING BODY 5. Invitations to the Negotiating Body are normally mailed two months before the scheduled opening of the session. All official focal points of nongovernmental organizations in official or provisional official relations with WHO are invited. It would be helpful if the secretariat could be informed, if possible, of the name(s) of the representatives of nongovernmental organizations 15 days before the date fixed for the opening.
CREDENTIALS AND REGISTRATION 6. The sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body will open in Geneva on Monday, 17 February 2003, at 09:30; it will close on Friday, 28 February 2003. It will be held in the Palais des Nations, located near Place des Nations and Avenue de la Paix. 7. When registering, participants are asked to show their invitation and a copy of their reply, and to complete a registration form. (In this connection, and as appropriate, nongovernmental organizations should ensure that their members attending the session receive copies of the invitation and reply.) Upon receipt of the completed registration form, a badge is prepared and given to the participant. (If the secretariat of the Negotiating Body has received a response to the invitation in adequate time, name badges will already have been prepared.) It is important to wear the badge at all times. 8. If the secretariat has not been informed of the name(s) of the representative(s) of a nongovernmental organization in advance, the representative(s) should ensure they have a copy of WHO’s invitation including enclosures, and a formal letter of accreditation on the organization’s headed paper. 2
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9. Participants are requested to register at the registration desk located at WHO headquarters. Upon registration, participants will be issued with badges that will allow them entry into the Palais des Nations. On 14 and 16 February, the registration desk will be at the entrance of the Executive Board room. From 17 to 28 February, it will be located at the hall in front of Room G on the eighth floor of the main building of WHO. Working hours of the registration desk are: Friday Sunday Saturday Monday to Friday 14 February 16 February 22 February 17-28 February 14:00-17:00 10:00-15:00 08:00-12:00 08:00-17:00
10. Since entry into the Palais des Nations will only be allowed to people wearing appropriate badges, please note that badges for participants will be issued only at the registration desk at WHO headquarters and not at the enquiry desk in the Palais.
ACCESS TO THE PALAIS DES NATIONS 11. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body will meet in the Assembly block of the Palais des Nations. This block is conveniently reached by Door 13 or 15. The plenary meetings will be held in the Assembly Hall (“Salle des Assemblées”), which can be reached by stairway or lift from Door 13 or 15. Informal and other meetings will be held in the conference rooms located in the E Building (“Bâtiment E”). The room numbers will be provided later. 12. Representatives of nongovernmental organizations are also advised to read the Guide for delegates to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, which provides useful information about the Palais des Nations and facilities available, such as transport.1
SHUTTLE BUS BETWEEN WHO AND THE PALAIS DES NATIONS 13. From 16 to 28 February, representatives of nongovernmental organizations in official or provisional official relations with WHO may use the shuttle bus service between WHO and the Palais, starting at 07:30. The shuttle leaves WHO from the tunnel (exit door 166, near the library; this door is locked for security reasons, but the driver of the shuttle bus will open it for Negotiating Body participants who should make their presence known by knocking on the window). At the Palais, the shuttle leaves from in front of Door 15.
DOCUMENTS 14. A documents desk will be set up in the vicinity of the Conference Rooms XVII and XVIII on the first floor in the E Building (“Bâtiment E”) of the Palais des Nations, where representatives of nongovernmental organizations may collect documents produced during the session. 15. WHO regrets that it is not possible for the secretariat to dispatch documents home on behalf of participants at the conclusion of the session. 1
Document A/FCTC/INB6/DIV/3.
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Intersessional meeting documents 16. Publicly available reports and other documents from the intersessional meetings held in preparation for the sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body will be made available on the web site of the Tobacco Free Initiative (http://www5.who.int/tobacco).
SPEAKING AT THE SESSION AND WORKING GROUPS THAT FUNCTION AS COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE 17. At the invitation of the Chair of the Negotiating Body or working group, or on his or her acceding to a request, duly accredited representatives may make an expository statement on an item of the agenda. (It is important to be aware that some items, for example elections, are not open for comment by nongovernmental organizations or other observers.) To facilitate the work of the session such requests should be submitted at least two hours in advance of the opening of the meeting at which the agenda item is expected to be discussed. Organizations that have made a statement may, with the consent of the Negotiating Body, be invited by the Chair to make, in the course of the discussion of the same agenda item, an additional statement for purposes of clarification. 18. Organizations wishing to avail themselves of this privilege should address their request to the Chair, through the Secretary of the Negotiating Body or the relevant working group. The request should refer to the item number and title; a legible statement, along with seven copies, in either English or French should be provided. The request should be handed in at the NGO Liaison Office (the office number will be communicated later). Organizations should call or visit the Office to verify that their request has been accepted. 19. Statements should be succinct and address the issue being discussed. As a general rule, speaking time is no more than three minutes. Organizations may also choose to prepare joint statements. As the proceedings of the Negotiating Body are dynamic, with possible deviation from the schedule, it is important that those organizations whose requests have been accepted follow the debate. The Bureau schedules items for discussion when preparing the daily work programme. Announcements of the schedule will occur at various times during the course of the day. 20. It is the responsibility of the representatives to ensure their presence when the relevant item is discussed. The Chair invites representatives to speak after the Member States and intergovernmental organizations. In response, speakers should raise their hand and press the button on the nearest microphone. They should switch off the microphone once they have delivered their statement.
ARRANGEMENTS CONCERNING NEGOTIATING BODY
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21. It is expected that, for meetings of informal groups, Member States will decide which organizations, if any, should be invited. Relevant information will be available at the NGO Liaison Office.
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SEATING ARRANGEMENTS 22. Seating for nongovernmental organizations at the plenary sessions (see paragraph 11) will be clearly marked.
DOCUMENT DISPLAY 23. Space has been reserved in the Assembly block near the Assembly Hall and in the E Building near the conference rooms for organizations to display documentation and other information material such as posters. Requests to display posters and material must be made in advance and should be addressed to the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body and handed in at the NGO Liaison Office. The request should be accompanied by samples of the materials to be displayed. Please call or visit the Office to verify that the request has been accepted; if so, the organization may then place the material in the above-mentioned area. It is the responsibility of each organization to ensure that any remaining materials are collected at the end of the session. 24. The entrance areas to the main Assembly Hall are to be kept free for delegations to use for informal discussions. Displays or other material will not be permitted in this area.
FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN OFFICIAL RELATIONS WITH WHO 25. For the entire period of the session, an office will be available for use by representatives of all nongovernmental organizations in official relations with WHO. The office will be equipped with a computer with Internet access, a printer and a telephone with a local line. A photocopier and a fax machine in close proximity to the office will be available for use by representatives, delegates and other participants at the negotiations. The office number will be provided later. 26. Because of the nature of the negotiations and the frequency of changes, any additional rooms will need to be booked on a daily basis at the office of room reservation (the number will be provided later). The needs of Member States and any ad hoc groups created by the Negotiating Body will be given priority. Booking of any additional rooms for nongovernmental organizations must be made through a nongovernmental organization in official relations with WHO, and the organization will be responsible for the use and condition of the room. 27. Not all rooms are equipped with interpretation services and it is regretted that WHO cannot provide any supplementary interpreters.
Refreshment facilities 28. No food or drinks (except the water already provided) are allowed in the conference rooms at any time. 29. The restaurant on the eighth floor of the Assembly block is open from 12:00 to 14:30 from Monday to Friday (ext. 73588 for reservations). It can organize private receptions (cocktail parties) and luncheons for a minimum of 25 participants. These services could also be provided on Saturdays or Sundays. Arrangements for dinners need to be discussed with DSR/UN (ext. 73588).
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30. The cafeteria, which is on the ground floor of the Assembly block, and to which there is direct access by Lift 29, is open from 08:15 to 16:45 from Monday to Friday, hot meals being served between 11:30 and 14:00 or 14:30 (grill only). 31. The snack bar in the hall between Doors 13 and 15 is open on weekdays from 07:30 to 19:00. It should be noted that this area has been reserved for non-smokers. 32. The Delegates’ Bar, adjacent to Conference Room VII on the third floor, is open from 08:30 to 16:45 from Monday to Friday, and also serves snacks. 33. The Serpent Bar (“Bar du Serpent”), located on the first floor of E Building next to Conference Rooms XVII and XVIII, is open from 09:00 to 17:30 from Monday to Friday and on Saturday until 12:30. The bar also serves sandwiches. 34. Delegates and other participants are welcome to use the restaurant and cafeteria at WHO.
ENQUIRY DESK 35. A desk to assist participants with general enquiries will be set up in the hall between Conference Rooms XVII and XVIII on the first floor in the E building (“Bâtiment E”) of the Palais des Nations. Its working hours are: Monday to Friday Saturday 17-28 February 22 February 09:00-18:00 09:00-12:00
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