Background Note for
Participants in the Monterrey Round Tables

In an effort to gain the maximum benefit from the exchange of ideas at the Round Table and to provide a meaningful summary of the ideas discussed, the following suggestions are made :    

• The importance of timely arrival at the Roundtable. The Roundtable room will be open for participants to meet each other before the formal scheduled starting time, with setting beginning 1/2 hour before the Roundtable starts, so that there is a maximum of time for interactive discussions.

• The necessity of time limits on individual statements. With three hours and seventy participants, it will be necessary to maintain a strict two-minute limit on individual interventions

• The number and names of advisers. Given the limitations of the available rooms and security considerations, it is important to know in advance the names of the two advisers for government delegations and the adviser for representatives of the institutional stakeholders, the business entities and civil society.

• The seating arrangements. Roundtable participants will be seated in alphabetical order within government delegations, followed by representatives of NGOs, the business sector and IGOs.

• The internal broadcasting of the discussions. To permit all conference delegates to benefit from the ideas raised at the Round Tables, there will be close-circuit internal broadcast to other conference rooms of all sessions.

• The documentation of new proposals and commitments. To facilitate a better understanding of new proposals and commitments on FfD issues, Roundtable participants can, if they so wish,  distribute the evening before their Roundtable a short statement to the participants attending their Roundtable . These statements could subsequently also be made available on the FfD website.

• The Round-table summaries. The Secretariat will assist the Co-Chairs in finalizing a concise summary of each Roundtable discussion. The summary will be translated during the conference.