United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, NY, 26 June - 7 July 2006
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NGO Accreditation

THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE TO REVIEW PROGRESS MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION TO PREVENT, COMBAT AND ERADICATE THE ILLICT TRADE IN SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN ALL ITS ASPECTS  


AIDE-MEMOIRE FOR NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS


The United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (2006 Review Conference) is part of the follow-up process to the 2001 Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

Date:

26 June to 7 July 2006
Opening plenary meeting:  Monday, 26 June at 10:00 am

Place: United Nations Headquarters, New York

NGO Liaison and Coordinator:

Ms. Myrna Peña
Department for Disarmament Affairs
United Nations, Room S-3140 B
New York, N.Y. 10017
Telephone: (1-212) 963-4022
Fax: (1-212) 963-3689
E-mail: DDACONF-NGO@un.org

I. Provisions for the attendance of non-governmental organizations

1. Rule 63 of the draft rules of procedure of the United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (2006 Review Conference), refers to the attendance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), (Doc. A/CONF.192/2006/RC/L.2), which will apply provisionally until a final decision on this matter is taken, reads as follows:

“With respect to the attendance of non-governmental organizations at the Conference, attendance will be open to:
  (a)          Relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in accordance with the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996. These non-governmental organizations should inform the President of the Conference about their interest to attend;
  (b)          Other interested non-governmental organizations relevant and competent to the scope and the purpose of the Conference provided that requests to do so are submitted to the President of the Conference and are accompanied by
information on the organization’s purpose, programmes and activities in areas relevant to the scope of the Conference. The President of the Conference will subsequently provide the Conference with a list of these non-governmental organizations for consideration on a no-objection basis;
  (c)          Non-governmental organizations accredited through the process specified above may attend meetings of the Conference, other than those designated as closed;
  (d)          Representatives of accredited non-governmental organizations will be allowed to address the Conference during one meeting specifically allocated for this purpose. These meetings will not coincide with other meetings of the Conference;
  (e)          Accredited non-governmental organizations will be provided, upon request, with documents related to the Conference, and they may, at their own expense, provide material to the delegations, outside the conference room, in the area of the Conference;
  (f)           Arrangements concerning the accreditation and attendance of non-governmental organizations at the Conference shall in no way create a precedent for other United Nations conferences.”


II. Practical arrangements for accreditation, registration and issuance of identification badges     

Accreditation

2. NGO representatives with or without valid ground passes for the United Nations Headquarters in New York are requested to submit written applications for attendance at the 2006 Review Conference that must include the following information:

  • A letter written on organizational letterhead, website address, if applicable, in one of the six official languages of the United Nations and signed by the head of the organization requesting attendance at the Conference.  This letter should include the composition of the delegation, and an overview of past interactions, if any, between the organization and the United Nations in relation to disarmament and small arms and light weapons (SALW) issues such as participation in the 2001 Conference on the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects and in the 2003 and 2005 Biennial Meetings of States. These interactions may also include affiliation with the Department of Public Information-DPI, consultative status with the Economic and Social Council-ECOSOC, etc.  NGOs that will be participating for the first time should indicate this in their request for accreditation.
  • A mission statement or summary of work that should include information on the organization’s purpose, programmes and activities related to the scope of the Conference—paragraph (b) of rule 63 of the draft rules of procedure of the Conference. This information should not exceed two pages in length.

3. This information should be sent not later than 28 April 2006 to the Secretariat of the Conference c/o Ms. Myrna Peña, NGO Liaison and Coordinator, Department for Disarmament Affairs, Room S-3140B, United Nations, New York, N.Y. 10017, USA, fax (1-212) 963-3689, e-mail: DDACONF-NGO@un.org

4. Requests for accreditation received by fax or e-mail will be considered provisional until the signed original letters is received by mail. On the basis of this information, the Secretariat will prepare a list of NGOs requesting accreditation for consideration of Member States on a no-objection basis. NGO representatives will be notified in the second week of June 2006 of the outcome of their request for accreditation.  Please bear in mind that no requests for accreditation will be processed after 28 April 2006.  Due to enhanced security procedures at United Nations Headquarters, the names submitted will not be eligible for later revision.  Therefore, it is advised that organizations submit the composition of their delegation only after careful review.

Registration and issuance of identification badges

5. Upon arrival at the United Nations Headquarters, NGO representatives should enter the United Nations building through the Visitor’s Entrance located on First Avenue at 46th Street. At the Visitor’s Lobby, they should present themselves to the Conference Registration Counter to the right of the entrance.  NGO representatives carrying valid United Nations Headquarters identification badges will be registered upon arrival.  All other NGO representatives will be required to present valid photo identification such as a passport or driver’s license, at the counter before beginning the registration process. Once a pass is issued NGO representatives will be granted access to the United Nations Complex.  NGO representatives accredited through this process may attend meetings of the Conference, other than those designated as closed—paragraph (c) of rule 63 of the draft rules of procedure of the Conference.  Please bear in mind those applicants for accreditation to the United Nations conferences as well as individuals planning to attend side events must be at least 18 years of age.

6. Registration will take place on the first day of the Conference from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. From Tuesday 27 June to Friday 30 June, the Registration Counter will be open from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.  Registration hours for the second week of the Conference (3, 5, 6 and 7 July) have not yet been established.

7. Early registration has been set for Thursday 22 June from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and Friday 23 June from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  NGO representatives who arrive before 26 June are urged to utilize this arrangement in order to avoid long lines expected on the first day of the Conference.

8. For matters related to registration and issuance of identification badges only, kindly contact Mr. Gary DeRosa, Monitoring, Database and Information (MDI) Branch, Department for Disarmament Affairs, telephone (1- 212) 963-3980, e-mail: derosa@un.org

III. Facilities for NGOs

9. In order to facilitate NGO participation in the Conference, two conference rooms with a capacity of 67 seats each will be available for NGO side events with the proviso that one of the rooms would also be made available for side events during lunch time.   One of the conference rooms will serve as focal point for their meetings and briefings and for distribution of official conference documents to their representatives. This conference room will be equipped with a photocopy machine and paper.

IV.  Documentation

10. Fifty copies of each official document will be made available to NGO representatives attending the meeting.  These documents, as well as one set of statements made by States during the plenary meetings will be transmitted, upon their issuance, to a representative designated by the NGOs as a focal point for that purpose.   

11. NGO representatives may display their documents and other information materials on two tables located outside Conference Room 4. All NGOs are kindly requested to provide one copy of each of those documents and materials to the Secretariat.

V. NGO presentations

12. Without prejudice to the decision by participating States as to the agenda and programme of work of the Conference, it is expected that time will be allocated for NGO presentations after the general exchange of views by Member States at the end of the first week of the Conference.  As in the past, NGOs are requested to coordinate and decide among themselves which representatives will address the Conference.  It would be appreciated if, prior to the session, the designated NGO coordinator—the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) could provide a confirmed list of speakers as well as a set of 15 copies of each presentation to the Secretariat of the Conference not later than 21 June 2006.

VI. NGO side events

13. Due to the heavy conference calendar at United Nations Headquarters, the availability of conference room space for side events is very limited.  In order to coordinate the calendar of events held on the margins of the Conference in the most effective manner, the Secretariat would be grateful to receive information on planned NGO events as well as requests for rooms and equipment through the NGO Coordinator—IANSA, not later than 3 May 2006.  It is important that this information be relayed as soon as possible.

VII. NGO contact person

14. The Secretariat has been informed that the following is the NGO point of contact:

Mr. Mark Marge
Mobile: (1-646) 207-6523
E-mail: mark.marge@iansa.org

Ms. Laura Haigh
Mobile (1-347) 220-4880
E-mail:  newyork@iansa.org

IANSA UN Office
c/o MOGC
777 First Avenue, 10th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
  Telephone: (1-212) 973-9551

VIII. Additional information from the Secretariat

15. The United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs is not in a position to provide letters of invitation and letters to consulates requesting that NGO representatives be provided visas for traveling to the United States in order to attend the Conference. The procurement of visas, travel arrangements and related costs are strictly the responsibility of the NGO representatives.  It is important that NGO representatives make their visa and travel arrangements at their earliest possible convenience.

16. Further inquiries regarding NGO attendance can be directed to Ms. Myrna Peña, NGO Liaison and Coordinator, Department for Disarmament Affairs, telephone (1-212) 963-4022, e-mail: DDACONF-NGO@un.org

17. In addition, the Secretariat will post information and documents related to the Conference on the website created for the Review Conference, available at http://www.un.org/events/smallarms2006

 

 

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