Information note
14 May 1998

Information note on arrangements for the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem
(Twentieth special session)

To be held at United Nations Headquarters From 8 to 10 June 1998

The present information note describes administrative and logistical arrangements for the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem. Additional information will be issued as appropriate. Other information is available by clicking here.

Contents

I. Introduction

II. Information for participants

A. Dates and venue

B. Arrival and departure information

  1. Arrival in New York

  2. Arrival at the United Nations

  3. Departure from the United Nations

C. Accreditation and access information

  1. Accreditation arrangements

  2. Access to and within the United Nations

  3. Provisional list of delegations

D. Security arrangements and responsibilities

E. Participation in the session

  1. List of speakers for the general debate

  2. Statements

  3. Interpretation

  4. Arrangements for bilateral meetings

F. Media arrangements and services

G. Information for non-governmental organizations

H. Social programme

I. Host country liaison

Annexes

  1. Tentative programme of activities during the special session

  2. Form SG.6 (Registration of members of delegations to temporary meetings)

  3. Request form for bilateral meetings

  4. Requests for accreditation of media representatives

  5. Layout of the United Nations complex

  6. Secretariat focal points

I. Introduction

By resolution 51/64 of 12 December 1996, the General Assembly decided to convene a special session to be devoted to combating the world drug problem. It decided, at the special session, to consider the fight against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, and to propose new strategies, methods, practical activities and special measures to strengthen international cooperation in addressing the problem of illicit drugs. The General Assembly stressed that the special session should be devoted to assessing the existing situation within the framework of a comprehensive and balanced approach that included all aspects of the problem, with a view to strengthening international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, and other relevant international instruments. The General Assembly reaffirmed its intent to address the problem of illicit drugs on the basis of the principle of shared responsibility and with full respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law, particularly respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.

The General Assembly, by resolution 52/92 of 12 December 1997, decided that the special session would be held over three days - 8-10 June 1998 - 10 years after the adoption of the 1988 Convention, and with the highest possible level of participation. The General Assembly also determined organizational modalities for the preparations for the special session, including the role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs acting as the preparatory body, and called for the support and participation of other relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system.

The General Assembly also recognized the important role played by non-governmental organizations in combating the world drug problem and the need for their active involvement in preparations for the special session, as well as the need to ensure appropriate arrangements for their contribution during the special session.

II. Information for participants

A. Dates and venue

The twentieth special session of the General Assembly will be held from Monday 8 June, to Wednesday, 10 June 1998, in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters.

B. Arrival and departure information

1. Arrival in New York

Following past practice, Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents, Crown Princes and Princesses and heads of delegations at Cabinet Minister level will be greeted, on behalf of the Secretary-General, by the Protocol Office at the time of arrival in New York. Detailed information about arrival of the VIPs in New York should be submitted by Permanent Missions to the Protocol and Liaison Service at least 24 hours in advance.

Governments of Member States, through their respective Permanent Missions in New York, are responsible for compliance with all Host Country requirements regarding entry formalities and provisions for transport and accommodation arrangements. Detailed information on that subject may be obtained from the Host Country section of the United States Mission to the United Nations.

2. Arrival at the United Nations

On the morning of 8 June 1998, only the police-escorted motorcades of Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents, Crown Princes and Princesses and deputy Prime Ministers (two vehicles per motorcade) will be admitted to the United Nations through the 43rd Street gate. These motorcades will be received at the Delegates Entrance to the General Assembly Building and the VIPs will be escorted to the West Foyer (Indonesian Lounge) to be greeted by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly.

The visitors' gate (First Avenue across from 46th Street) will be open for Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents, Crown Princes and Princesses and deputy Prime Ministers arriving on foot, from where they will be directed by Protocol officers to the Delegates Entrance.

It is anticipated that First Avenue will be closed as of 8 a.m. on 8 June 1998 for all vehicular traffic other than police-escorted motorcades. Therefore, all other vehicles, whether escorted or unescorted, including those of delegates at the Ministerial and Ambassadorial level, arriving at the United Nations between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. will either discharge their occupants in the vicinity of the 46th Street gate to the United Nations, from where the delegates will proceed to the Visitors' Entrance of the General Assembly Building on foot or enter the United Nations through the United Nations garage. After lunch on 8 June and on subsequent days, normal vehicular traffic patterns will be in effect.

A provisional order of arrivals at Headquarters for the morning of 8 June based on protocol and security considerations will be prepared, and delegations will be informed of this order individually at a later date.

3. Departure from the United Nations

Departures from Headquarters will take place on an individual basis and according to the following procedure: a "motorcade desk", staffed by one Protocol Officer, one United Nations Security Officer and one Host Country security representative with communications equipment, will be set up on the second floor (East Foyer). Delegations wishing to depart are requested to inform the motorcade desk personnel, who will summon the respective motorcade and inform the delegation upon their arrival. A delegation waiting area will be located at the foot of the escalator at the Delegates Entrance.

C. Accreditation and access information

1. Accreditation arrangements

The accreditation of the delegations to the twentieth special session of the General Assembly will be carried out by the Protocol Accreditation Unit which will be located in the UNITAR Building, 45th Street entrance, as of 26 May. Regular working hours of the Protocol Accreditation Unit will be 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. During the weekend of 6 June, the Protocol Accreditation Unit will be open as follows:

Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Monday 8 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.

The Unit will remain open outside the hours indicated above by appointment only. If necessary, contact Marybeth Curran, Protocol Accreditation Unit, tel. 963-7181.

The Protocol Accreditation Unit will issue United Nations grounds passes to members of delegations of Member and Observer States, intergovernmental organizations, other entities with the status of observer and specialized agencies. In addition to members of official delegations, the Protocol Accreditation Unit will also serve members of the parties of the VIPs participating in the session. Applications for issuance of grounds passes (SG.6 form, Registration of Members of Delegations to Temporary Meetings - see annex II) should be submitted to Marybeth Curran, Protocol Accreditation Unit, UNITAR Building, 801 First Avenue (entrance on 45th Street), New York, NY 10017, tel. 963-7181. For the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, only the bottom portion of the SG.6 form should be filled out.

The submission of the SG.6 form is not required for the issuance of the VIP passes. The VIP passes will be issued by the Protocol Accreditation Unit upon submission of a request from the Permanent Mission with two passport-size photographs.

United Nations grounds passes for national security personnel accompanying Heads of State and Government and other VIPs will be issued by the Security and Safety Service. Delegations are requested to contact Captain George Baldwin, tel. 963-7531.

Grounds passes for representatives of United Nations programmes will be issued by the Security and Safety Service.

Media representatives and members of non-governmental organizations will be accredited and issued appropriate grounds passes by the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit and the NGO Servicing Unit (see section II, F and G, below).

2. Access to and within the United Nations

Throughout the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, access to the General Assembly Hall will be open to delegates with valid United Nations diplomatic grounds passes.

On the morning of 8 June, special access cards will be required for entry to the General Assembly Hall in addition to ordinary grounds passes. For this purpose, six such cards (gold) will be issued to each delegation in advance. Delegations from Observer States and intergovernmental organizations will be issued two special access cards and specialized agencies will be issued one special access card. The number of special access cards is determined by the allocation of seats in the General Assembly Hall to delegations in each of the above-mentioned categories. Please note that special access cards will be required only for the opening meeting of the twentieth special session of the General Assembly on the morning of 8 June.

On the morning of 8 June, during the opening meeting of the special session, sections A and B on the side of the General Assembly Hall will be reserved for the spouses of the VIPs attending the session.

Limited seating will be available in the overflow area of the General Assembly Hall (seats behind delegations area) to the members of the delegations whose chairmen will address the special session during the morning meeting of 8 June. Access to that area will be through the third floor of the General Assembly Building and will require special access cards (blue) in addition to valid United Nations grounds passes. Seats in the Public Gallery will also be available to delegations and guests thereof and will require tickets in addition to valid United Nations grounds passes. The requests for the seats in each of the two above-mentioned areas should be sent in writing and well in advance to the attention of Marybeth Curran, Protocol Accreditation Unit, 801 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

For all the subsequent plenary meetings of the special session, seating in sections A and B on the side of the General Assembly Hall will be available for the guests of the delegations whose chairmen will take the floor at a given meeting. Requests must be made in writing and well in advance to the attention of Marybeth Curran, Protocol Accreditation Unit, 801 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

Please note that all persons, including those in the motorcades, must have a valid United Nations grounds pass to enter the premises, and to this end we urge your cooperation so as to ensure a smooth flow at the entrance.

3. Provisional list of delegations

A provisional list of participants in the twentieth special session of the General Assembly will be issued by the Protocol and Liaison Service. Permanent Missions are requested to submit comprehensive lists of delegations to the Chief of Protocol, room S-201A, at their earliest convenience.

D. Security arrangements and responsibilities

The Security and Safety Service is responsible for the security of all persons while they are on the United Nations premises. The Host Country and the Host City authorities are responsible for all arrangements relating to security and movement outside United Nations Headquarters.

Protection is provided by Host Country security authorities to Heads of State and Government, as well as to a limited number of other government officials, by the assignment of protection detail personnel, and will include motorcade arrangements. Arrangements for such assignments are initiated by the Washington embassy of the relevant country with the United States Department of State. Contact may also be made through the Host Country Liaison office at the United States Mission to the United Nations (see section I below).

Any questions should be directed to the Security and Safety Service, Sergeant Jacob Chacko, at 963-7531 or Sergeant Joann McCreary, at 963-7028.

Security briefing

The Security and Safety Service has scheduled a briefing regarding security arrangements at United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, 2 June 1998, at 11 a.m. in Conference Room 1. It is essential that security representatives attend this meeting.

E. Participation in the session

In accordance with the recommendation of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, acting as the preparatory body for the twentieth special session, nine plenary meetings will be held over the three-day period of the special session (Monday to Wednesday, 8-10 June 1998), with three meetings per day according to the following schedule: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Participants in the general debate will include Member States, States members of specialized agencies but not members of the United Nations in the capacity of observers (according to paragraph 9 of General Assembly resolution 52/92) and observers (as recommended by the preparatory body).

The preparatory body also recommended that representatives of United Nations programmes and other entities in the United Nations system and representatives of non-governmental organizations designated by their constituencies may make statements in the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole.

The preparatory body further recommended that statements in the general debate should not exceed seven minutes. To facilitate the observance of the time limit, a light system installed on the lectern would signal the approach of the seven-minute limit.

Only official documents of the twentieth special session and texts of statements to be made in plenary meetings will be available in the General Assembly Hall.

1. List of speakers for the general debate

The current list of speakers for the general debate is available in room S-3670. Any change or addition to the list of speakers should be communicated to the Division of General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs, room S-3670J, tel. 963-5063.

2. Statements

A minimum of 30 copies of the text of statements to be delivered in the debate on the world drug problem should be submitted in advance to the Secretariat; failing this, delegations are urged to provide interpreters with five copies (for interpretation into the five other official languages) before the speaker takes the floor. If delegations wish to have the text of statements distributed to all delegations, observers, specialized agencies, interpreters, record-writers and press officers, 350 copies are required.

Given the security arrangements in place for the twentieth special session, texts of statements to be made in plenary meetings will have to be delivered to a receiving area in the Public Lobby between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. by a delegation representative in possession of a valid grounds pass. Access will be through the 46th Street gate to the Visitors' Entrance, through the electronic screening area, where a representative of the Secretariat will accept the texts at a special counter. Only texts of statements to be made that same day will be accepted.

Delegations who wish to make their statements available to non-governmental organizations should deliver copies to the NGO working area in Conference Room D in the first basement (1B).

Delegations wishing to make their statements available to the press should bring a minimum of 100 copies to the Media Centre in Conference Room 1, in the first basement, and 100 copies to the documents distribution counter in the third floor press area. No copying facilities will be available for these statements.

3. Interpretation

Statements made in any of the six official languages of the General Assembly are interpreted into the other official languages. Any speaker may also make a statement in a language other than the official languages; however, in such cases, in accordance with rule 53 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the delegation in question must provide either an interpreter or a written text of the statement in one of the official languages. On the basis of interpretation or written text, which is accepted by the Secretariat as representing the official text of the statement, it will be interpreted into the other official languages by United Nations interpreters. Moreover, the delegation concerned should make available to the interpreter someone who knows the language in which the statement is to be delivered and the official language into which it has been translated, to guide the interpreter through the translated text and to ensure synchronization between the speaker and the interpreter. Detailed arrangements for interpretation from non-official languages, including access by non-United Nations interpreters to the interpreter booths in the General Assembly Hall, must be made in advance with Monique Corvington, Chief, Interpretation Service, room SA-B31, tel. 963-8233. Apart from the above exception, there will be no facilities for interpretation in non-official languages.

4. Arrangements for bilateral meetings

Facilities

Limited facilities for bilateral meetings and contacts among Member States will be available during the twentieth special session of the General Assembly. Ten suitably appointed temporary rooms, each furnished with eight chairs, will be available in the Chinese Lounge and the third floor gallery of the General Assembly Building for such consultations.

Reservation system

Within the designated bilateral meeting areas, a reservation system has been instituted in order to provide equitable and efficient use of the facilities.

A room reservation form (see annex III) has been distributed to all permanent and observer missions for this purpose. Missions are requested kindly to use a separate form for each bilateral meeting and to forward them to Aurora Szekielda, Meetings Servicing Unit, room 1B-2, tel. 963-9360, fax 963-9284. These written requests should specify the date, time and exact duration of each meeting and should include the name of the other delegation participating in the bilateral meeting. Photo opportunities in connection with bilateral meetings will be available upon request (see section F below for details).

Oral communication of the availability of space will be given shortly after receipt of each request, and information on room assignments will be provided two working days in advance of the twentieth special session. Depending on the programme, every effort will be made to keep a delegation's appointments in the same room.

F. Media arrangements and services

Accreditation

The Accreditation Centre for media will be located in the Labouisse Hall of UNICEF House (entrance on 44th Street between First and Second Avenues) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 6, 7 and 8 June. Its hours of operation are: Saturday, 6 June: 12 noon-6 p.m.; Sunday, 7 June: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Monday, 8 June: 7.30 a.m.-6 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 and 10 June, media can receive accreditation at the UNITAR building, 801 First Avenue, corner of 45th Street, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prior to 6 June, media can receive accreditation during normal working hours (9.30 a.m.-5 p.m.) in the Visitors Lobby of the General Assembly Building.

Those correspondents already possessing a valid United Nations grounds pass will not need additional accreditation for the special session.

Each member of the press corps accompanying a Head of State or Head of Government or Head of Delegation must complete an application for accreditation (see annex IV). This form must then be attached to an official letter from the permanent mission, addressed to the Chief, Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, Media Division, Department of Public Information. The letter must list the names of the media representatives with their functional titles and affiliation (i.e. news media organization). Additional forms are available from the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, room S-250, or the Accreditation Centre, tel. 963-7164/6934.

After arrival in New York, all members of the press corps accompanying the Head of State, Head of Government or Head of Delegation must present themselves to the Accreditation Centre, where they will have their photograph taken and be issued a United Nations grounds pass. For security reasons, each member of the press corps will be required to wear both his/her United Nations pass and a national ID at all times.

Entry and screening procedures

The designated entrance for the media will be the visitors' gate located at First Avenue and 46th Street.

All press personnel are advised to arrive early to allow sufficient time for screening. Last minute arrivals will encounter delays and may be further delayed should First Avenue be temporarily closed for motorcades.

Media Centre

In addition to the facilities normally available to the press on the third floor of the Secretariat building, the ExPress Bar located on the third floor of the General Assembly Building will serve as an overflow area for the press corps, particularly the official photographers and cameramen waiting to enter the booth assigned to them. This location will be equipped with a television monitor, carrying the proceedings in the General Assembly Hall, telephones and electrical outlets.

The United Nations will establish a Media Centre for the local and visiting press corps in Conference Room 1, which will provide the following technical services:

An information desk in the Media Centre will be staffed at all times from 8 to 10 June to assist journalists with both substantive and organizational questions. Media Centre (8-10 June only) tel. 963-0689/1101/8212.

United Nations audio-visual materials

Photographs, videotapes and audio tapes are available from the United Nations. Each day during the special session, the offices which provide these services will be open from 9 a.m.

Photographs will be available to delegations for a nominal fee and to accredited correspondents free of charge. Photographs of morning statements will be available during the afternoon of the same day; afternoon statements, the following morning. Please direct inquiries and requests to:

United Nations Photo Library
Room S-805L
Fax: 963-1658
Tel: 963-6927
Videotapes of statements are available for a fee in NTSC only, in VHS, U-matic (¾"), and Betacam SP formats. Tapes ordered in advance will be available for pick-up immediately following the statement. Tapes ordered afterwards will be available by the next day. To request a videotape of a statement, contact: tel. 963-7652; fax. 963-3860.

Live television feeds are available through commercial carriers; contact 963-7650 for information.

Please note that unilateral television production services will not be available from United Nations Television during the special session.

Audio cassettes of the statements for the special session will be available, free of charge, from the United Nations Audio Library, located on the first basement concourse level, in room GA-27; fax. 963-3860; tel. 963-9272 or 963-4186.

Statements are normally available in the original ("floor") language in which they were delivered. Special requests for the recording of the interpreters' version in one of the six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) should be made in advance, and are subject to the limitations of the recording facilities.

Accredited correspondents are provided with audio cassettes of news items free of charge. Delegates may request one cassette of each statement free of charge. Additional copies, back orders and other special requests are subject to a charge and are handled by the Sound Recording Unit, room GA-13C, tel. 963-7658.

Pool coverage

Owing to logistics and space consideration, nearly all visual media coverage will be done by selected media pools. These pools are reserved exclusively for United Nations Television, United Nations photographers, international wire services and photo agencies. In the case of print media, the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) will notify the Department of Public Information of its representative.

The official press corps accompanying a Head of State, Head of Government or a Head of Delegation, including the official photographer, will not be permitted to participate in these pools. The one exception will be the luncheon in which their Head of State, Head of Government or Head of Delegation participates, where the official photographer will be allowed to join the pool. In all instances these pools will be accompanied by a liaison staff from the Department of Public Information. Tel. 963-6934; fax. 963-4642.

Visual coverage in the General Assembly Hall

Official photographers and official television crews will have an opportunity to cover the statement of their Head of State, Head of Government or Head of Delegation on a rotating basis, from the press booths surrounding the General Assembly Hall. Owing to space limitations, they may not remain to cover the other statements during the special session. A limited number of still photographers, escorted by DPI liaison staff, will also be allowed to take photographs from the "bridge" at the back of the General Assembly Hall during the statement. These operations will be coordinated from the third floor liaison desk in the General Assembly Building. Tel. 963-7756/3353.

Tickets to the Press Gallery in the General Assembly Hall

There are 53 seats available for media representatives in the Press Gallery of the General Assembly Hall. Tickets will be distributed in the Media Centre half an hour before the meeting on a first-come first-served basis.

Copies of statements for the press

Delegations wishing to make the statement of their Head of State, Head of Government or Head of Delegation available to the press should bring a minimum of 100 copies to the Media Centre in Conference Room 1, located in the first basement and 100 copies to the documents distribution counter in the third floor press area in the Secretariat Building. No copying facilities will be available for these statements.

Arrangements for coverage of bilateral meetings held during the special session

Delegations wishing coverage by their official media and/or international press of bilateral meetings by their Head of State, Head of Government or Head of Delegation are urged to obtain prior agreement of both delegations to the press coverage. They should provide the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit with details of scheduled bilateral meetings. Tel. 963-2393; fax. 963-4642.

Those photo opportunities will take place in the vicinity of the bilateral meetings. Media representatives covering these meetings will be asked to assemble at the third floor liaison desk in the General Assembly Building, from which point they will be escorted by a liaison staff from the Department of Public Information. General Assembly third floor liaison desk: tel. 963-7756/3353.

Press conferences

Room S-226 has been identified as the venue for press conferences during the special session. Missions wishing to schedule a press conference should contact the office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General at 963-5824; fax. 963-7055. A list of press conferences will be announced daily.

United Nations press release coverage

The Department of Public Information will provide press release coverage of open meetings of the special session. They may be obtained from the third floor documents counter (Secretariat Building) and in the Media Centre. Further queries should be directed to the News Coverage and Accreditation Service. Tel. 963-7211/2360.

Background material

For press materials, information about the negotiations and issues, suggestions for interviews and other related assistance, contact the Department of Public Information, tel. 963-5851/0353; fax. 963-1186. From 8 to 10 June contact the information desk in the Media Centre, tel. 963-0689/1101/8212.

G. Information for non-governmental organizations

Registration of NGOs

NGOs which are associated with the Department of Public Information must send the names of their representatives who will be attending in advance no later than 1 June to:

NGO Resource Centre
Department of Public Information
United Nations
L-1B-31
Fax: 963-2819
NGOs which are in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which have not already done so must send the names of their representatives who will be attending in advance no later than 20 May to either/or:

Hanifa Mezoui, Chief
NGO Section/DESA, United Nations, Room DC1-1076
Fax 963-4116/4114/9248

Eileen McCafferty, Programme Officer
UNDCP, Vienna International Centre
POB 500, Vienna A-1400, Austria, fax 431.21345.5866
e-mail: emccafferty@unvienna.un.or.at

The accreditation of NGOs which are neither of the above is being processed by UNDCP (see Eileen McCafferty's particulars above).

NGO representatives must bring both:

Registration venue

Registration Desk in the Labouisse Hall
UNICEF House, 3 United Nations Plaza, 44th Street between First and Second Avenues

Registration times

6 June 1998 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
7 June 1998 12 noon-6 p.m.
8 June 1998 9 a.m.-11 a.m. and 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

Outside those hours, NGOs associated with the Department of Public Information are to call 963-7234 and those with ECOSOC status 963-8652.

Access to meetings

The special session will involve the following official meetings held in parallel:

Plenary meeting: General Assembly Hall, second floor of the General Assembly Building

Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole: Conference Room 3, first basement, Secretariat Building

Access to plenary meetings

The entire second floor of the General Assembly and Conference buildings will be a designated restricted area.

For each of the 9 plenary meetings, there will be tickets for NGOs to observe the debate from the fourth balcony of the General Assembly Hall. These tickets will be distributed through the Non-Governmental Liaison Service on a first-come, first-served and one ticket per organization basis. Ticket distribution will start at 9.15 a.m. for the morning sessions and at 2 p.m. for the afternoon sessions. No prior reservations for General Assembly Hall tickets will be taken. A number of tickets will be set aside for those participants with disabilities. The distribution venue will be set up in the first basement area. The exact location will be announced as soon as this information is available.

Access to the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole

The Committee of the Whole is the working group of the special session. The Committee's main task is to finalize the negotiation of the texts that will be adopted by the General Assembly on the last day of the special session.

NGO access to the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole will be based on the practice of the Main Committees of the General Assembly and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. In other words, NGO participants can observe the work of the Committee, request statement opportunities, disseminate information etc. There are currently no special passes to attend meetings of the Committee of the Whole.

Facilities to increase access to the debate in the plenary

Direct video links from the General Assembly Hall will be available in Conference Room 4, which is designated as an NGO meeting room.

Working space for participating NGOs

The following arrangements have been made to provide space for various NGO meetings and activities:

Conference Room 4: designated NGO meeting room. Information will be provided in an addendum to the present note.

Conference Room D: working room for participating NGOs and other major groups. Computer systems be available to facilitate the work of the participants. Those participants who wish to bring their own computer equipment are welcome to use this room to conduct their work. Two Internet hook-ups will be arranged to enable access to the Internet and the Optical Disk System of the United Nations for retrieval of documents relevant to the special session.

Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium: Information will be provided in an addendum to the present note.

Distribution of materials

Distribution of printed materials on the second floor of the General Assembly Building will not be allowed. Printed material can be distributed on tables that will be available outside Conference Rooms 1, 3, 4 and D in the first basement.

Side events

Given the limited time of a three-day special session, only a small number of side events are possible. A tentative schedule of the side events is included in annex I.

An information leaflet will be produced by the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention secretariat to provide the most up-to-date schedule of the official meetings or consultations and the side events.

Further enquiries on the side events should be directed to the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention secretariat (see list of focal points provided in annex VI).

H. Social programme

The Protocol and Liaison Service will issue a separate note verbale to all delegations outlining the social programme for the special session, including arrangements for breakfasts, the official luncheon and a programme for spouses of Heads of State and Heads of Government.

I. Host country liaison

All inquiries concerning Host Country matters should be directed to the United States Mission, Mr. Robert C. Moller, at 415-4131 during regular business hours; after hours, please call 415-4444.

Annex I

Tentative programme of activities during the special session

Monday, 8 June 1998

10.00-1.00 Opening of the special session (statements by the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General; organizational matters; opening of the general debate)

1.15-2.45 Side event: Presentation by Mission of Germany on alternative development. Conference Room 9.

3.00-6.00 Second plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

First meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole

3.45-5.45 Side event: Children, Young People and Drug Abuse - Panel discussion organized by UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDCP. Introduction by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; Moderator: Minister of Health of Mexico. Conference Room 2.

7.00-9.00 Third plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

Tuesday, 9 June 1998

10.00-1.00 Fourth plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

Second meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole

9.30-6.30 Side event: World workshop on the media and drugs - organized by ODCCP/DPI with support from RAI-TV and Mission of Italy. Conference Room 2.

10.00-1.00 Side event: Drugs and productivity - Panel discussion organized by ILO. Conference Room 6.

Side event: Drugs and development - Panel discussion organized by UNDP. Conference Room 5.

1.15-2.45 Side event: Presentation by Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran on transit of illicit drugs through Iran. Conference Room 9.

3.00-6.00 Fifth plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

Third meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole

3.00-5.00 Side event: Drug abuse and HIV/AIDS - Panel discussion organized by UNAIDS and WHO. Conference Room 6.

7.00-9.00 Sixth plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

Wednesday, 10 June 1998

10.00-1.00 Seventh plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

Side event: Attacking the profits of crime: Drugs, money-laundering - Panel discussion organized by UNDCP. Moderator: Pino Arlacchi. Conference Room 2.

3.00-6.00 Eighth plenary meeting of the special session (general debate)

3.00-5.00 Side event: Cutting the supply lines - Panel discussion organized by INTERPOL and WCO. Conference Room 6.

7.00-9.00 Ninth plenary meeting of the special session (conclusion of the general debate, adoption of the final documents, closing of the special session)

Annex Il

Form SG.6 (Registration of members of delegations to temporary meetings)

[ not shown ]

Annex III


Twentieth special session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem

Bilateral Room Reservation Form

Mission:

Contact person:

Telephone number:

Fax number:

Day and date of meeting:

Start time:

End time:

No. of participants: (Room will accommodate a maximum of 8 persons)

Level - Head of State/Government; Ministerial; Other:

List other delegation(s) participating in bilateral meeting:





Services requested:





A separate form should be completed for each bilateral meeting. Only the delegation initiating the meeting should submit the request form and act as coordinator.

Please send completed form(s) to Aurora Szekielda, Meetings Servicing Unit, room 1B-2, tel. 963-9360, fax. 963-9284.

Annex IV


SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ON THE WORLD DRUG PROBLEM
New York, 8 - 10 June 1988
REQUEST FOR ACCREDITATION OF MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES
PERSONAL DATA

1. Name: ___________________________________________________________
                    (Family name)                            (First name)
2. Place and date of birth: __________________________________________________
3. Nationality: ____________________ 4. Passport number: ____________________
5. Permanent office address (if different from your organization's headquarters):
__________________________________ Telephone: (      ) _____________________
__________________________________ Fax: (      ) ___________________________

6. For contact during Session:

Address: ___________________________ Telephone: (      )_____________________
___________________________________ Fax: (        ) __________________________
DATA ON THE MEDIA ORGANIZATION YOU REPRESENT

7. Name of organization:______________________________________________________
8. Contact person and title: ____________________________________________________
9. Headquarters' mailing address:____________________Telephone: (      )______________
_____________________________________________ Fax: (       )_________________

10. Status/Ownership:
___ Educational/Public____ Government/State
___ Private ____ Other (specify):______________

11. Type of medium (check as many as necessary):
___ Daily newspaper ____ Photo/visual service ____ Television
___ News agency/service____ Radio ____ Weekly publication
___ Other (specify): _________________________

12. Position:
___ Cameraperson ____ Director ____ Photographer ____ Reporter
___ Correspondent____ Editor Producer ____ Technician
___ Other (specify):__________________________________

13. Working language(s) of your media organization________________________________
14. Your main news topic(s) or field(s) of coverage (if applicable):
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Annex V

Layout of the United Nations Secretariat Complex

Annex VI

Secretariat focal points

The interdepartmental task force on the special session is responsible for coordination within the Secretariat of work related to the preparations for the special session. Specific queries can be directed to focal points as follows:

A. Advance parties coordination Protocol and Liaison Service
Igor Novichenko
Room: S-0201B
Tel.: 963-7175
Tel.: 963-7177
Fax: 963-1921
B. General Assembly secretariat General Assembly Affairs
Division
Vadim Perfiliev
Room: S-2977A
Tel.: 963-0725
C. Committee of the Whole Substantive office Office of Drug Control and
Crime Prevention
Jonathan Lucas
Up to 7 June: Tel.: 963-1821
8-10 June: Room: CB-1A
Tel.: 963-5101
Committee Secretary Vladimir Zelenov
Room: S-2950A
Tel.: 963-2322
D. Side events Office of Drug Control and
Crime Prevention
Up to 7 June: Sylvie Bryant
Tel.: 963-5634
8-10 June: Peter Storr
Room CB-2C
Tel.: 963-3070
E. Arrangements for interpretation from non-official languages Interpretation Unit
Monique Corvington
Room: SA-B31
Tel.: 963-8233
F. Non-governmental
organizations registration/
accreditation		 DPI NGO Section/Department of
Public Information
Lyutha Al-Mughairy
Room: S-1070
Fax: 963-6914
Tel.: 963-5125
ECOSOC NGO Section/Department of
Economic and Social Affairs
Hanifa Mezoui
Room: DC1-1076
Fax: 963-4116, 963-4114
Tel.: 963-8652, 963-4842
Others United Nations Drug Control
Programme (UNDCP)
Eileen McCafferty/Sylvie Bryant
Room: DC1-613
Fax: 963-4185
Tel.: 963-5634
G. Protocol Protocol and Liaison Service
Igor Novichenko
Room S-0201B
Tel.: 963-7175
963-7177
Fax: 963-1921
Accreditation Unit Marybeth Curran
UNITAR Bldg.
Tel.: 963-7181
Programme for Spouses of
Heads of State/Government 		Almudena de Ameller
Tel.: 963-7178
H. Security General Sergeant Jacob Chacko
Tel.: 963-7531
Sergeant Joann McCreary
Tel.: 963-7028
Passes for national security
officers		 Captain George Baldwin
Tel.: 963-7531
I. Media Photograph requests United Nations Photo Library
Room: S-805L
Tel.: 963-6927
Fax: 963-1658
Video tapes of speeches Tel.: 963-7652
Fax: 963-3860
Audio cassettes of speeches United Nations Audio Library
Room: GA-27 (first basement
concourse level (1B))
Tel.: 963-9272
963-4186
Fax: 963-3860
Scheduling of press conferences Office of Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
Tel.: 963-5824
Fax: 963-7055
Live television feeds information Tel.: 963-7650
Media accreditation Tel.: 963-7164, 963-6937
963-6934, 963-6936
Fax: 963-4642
Background information Department of Public
Information
Tel.: 963-5851
963-0353
Fax: 963-1186
Media Centre (8-10 June only) Conference Room 1
Tel.: 963-0689
963-1101
963-8212
Liaison Desk (8-10 June only) Third floor General Assembly
Building
Tel.: 963-7756
963-3353
Pool coverageTel.: 963-6934
Fax: 963-4642
Bilateral meetings coverage Tel.: 963-2393
Fax: 963-4642
Spokesman, President of the General AssemblyRoom C-204
Tel.: 963-1170
Fax: 963-3301
J. Facilities for bilateral meetings Meetings Servicing Unit
Aurora Szekielda
Room: 1B-2
Tel.: 963-9360
Fax: 963-9284
K. Medical services Emergencies Tel.: 963-7777
L. Travel of representatives of least developed countries DM/Executive Office
Anna Frangipani-Campino
Room: S-2750J
Tel.: 963-5832
Fax: 963-3283
M. Host country matters United States Mission
Robert C. Moller
415-4131 (regular business hours)
415-4444 (after hours)
Participating Governments are responsible for all other arrangements, including travel to New York, entry formalities, ground transportation, accommodations, attention to special health and medical considerations, secretarial and telecommunication services, advance visits and delegations programme of activities that are not directly related to the special session. Participating Governments should observe all regular procedures at United Nations Headquarters, as stated in section XIX of the United Nations Manual of Protocol (ST/SG/4/Rev.6), Information for Delegations (ST/CS/46) and other guidelines and instructions.