Intersessional Activities, Ad Hoc Expert Groups
To develop proposals for the development of a voluntary global financial mechanism/portfolio approach/forest financing framework

Travel Support and Participant Registration Information

The ad hoc expert group will be composed of Government-designated experts from all UNFF Member States. Travel support and daily subsistence allowance may be provided to one Government-designated expert from Developing Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition to the maximum extent possible from the budget on a first come, first serve basis. A Note Verbale regarding travel support was sent to all Permanent Missions to the UN in New York on 8 August 2008.

Please note that the deadline for all travel support requests made by the national authorities through their Permanent Missions to the UN in New York is 15 September 2008.

Travel support procedures for Government-designated experts

Opening date and place of the session

The UNFF Ad Hoc Expert Group (AHEG) Meeting of the United Nations Forum on Forest (UNFF) will be held in the Vienna International Centre (VIC), (Address: Wagramerstrasse 5, 1220 Vienna). The opening session will take place on Monday, 10 November 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Registration of participants and identification badges

Security regulations at the Vienna International Centre require that all participants be registered in order to enter the VIC premises. Member States, international organizations and major groups are requested to officially provide information on participants/delegations to the Secretariat of the Forum, fax 1 (917) 367-3186. Registration will take place in the VIC Pass Office at Gate I on 10 November 2008, from 8.00 a.m. onwards. Participants of the “AHEG” Meeting are invited to register as early as possible and are requested to complete registration formalities by 10:00 a.m. on 10 November in order to be on time for the opening session of the meeting.

Upon registration, participants (not already in possession of a VIC grounds pass) will be issued VIC conference passes, in the appropriate categories, bearing their name and country or organization. The necessary photographs for the conference passes will be taken in the Pass Office at Gate I. For security reasons the display of conference/grounds passes is necessary for admittance to the VIC as well as to the conference premises.

Interpretation

Simultaneous interpretation in all six UN official languages will be made available at the AHEG meeting.

Access to the VIC

Participants coming by taxi are advised to leave the vehicle in the side lane (Nebenfahrbahn) of the Wagramer Strasse, register at Gate 1, walk across the plaza and enter the building via entrance "C". Participants coming by the "U-Bahn" on Line 1 (red) should get off at the "Kaisermühlen-Vienna International Centre", leave the station by the exit closest to the front of the train, enter VIC grounds at Gate 1, and proceed to the plaza and entrance "C".

Additional information on the Vienna International Center