Information
for participants
I. Site and date of the Assembly
1. The Second World Assembly on Ageing will
be held from 8 to 12 April 2002 at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in
Madrid. The address is as follows:
Second
World Assembly on Ageing
Palacio Municipal de Congresos
Campo de las Naciones
Avenida de la Capital de
España, s/n
28042 Madrid, Spain
Telephone: (91) 722.0400
Fax: (91) 721.0607
E-mail:
camponaciones@munimadrid.es
2. The Palacio is approximately 25 minutes
from the centre of Madrid on the metro in non-peak hours (10 km) and five
minutes from the international airport of Barajas.
II. Opening meeting of the Assembly
3. The formal opening of the Assembly will
take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, 8 April 2002, in the Plenary Hall on the
third floor of the Palacio.
III. Accreditation of participants
4. Delegations are advised that every
member of official or observer delegations, members of the parties of heads of
State and Government, or technical support staff who will need access to the
conference site in Madrid will be admitted only upon presentation of a United
Nations conference pass with a photograph. United Nations staff in Madrid will
register and issue passes to all the above categories of participants on the
basis of a comprehensive list of delegates and the individual accreditation
form (see attachment). Accreditation forms in English, French and Spanish are
available at the United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service. It is suggested
that the accreditation forms be forwarded by the Permanent/Observer Missions
and Offices to their respective capitals, headquarters and/or embassies in
Madrid for pre-accreditation purposes.
5. As a special courtesy, it will be
possible for those members of Permanent/Observer Missions in New York who will
participate in the Second World Assembly on Ageing to fill out the
accreditation forms, have them authorized by the Protocol and Liaison Service
and be issued conference passes for Madrid before their departure for Spain.
Pre-accreditation of participants based in New York will be in effect as of
this writing until 27 March 2002.
6. The on-site accreditation of delegates
to the Second World Assembly on Ageing is scheduled to begin in Madrid on 4
April 2002 and will be carried out by the United Nations Protocol Accreditation
Unit. The Unit will be located at the IFEMA Pavilion No. 1 (next to the
Palacio), Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre, Madrid. In order to be accredited,
each delegation is expected to present a comprehensive list of participants or
credentials together with duly filled-out individual accreditation forms to the
Protocol Accreditation Unit. Upon authorization, the delegates will be
photographed and issued conference passes. It should be noted that it will be
possible for authorized representatives of delegations to submit in advance to the Protocol
Accreditation Unit complete packages of duly filled-out accreditation forms
together with the delegates’ list and
photographs of the participants. The packages will be processed by the
Protocol and Accreditation Unit within 24 to 48 hours and then packages of
passes can be collected by the representatives of delegations for subsequent
distribution.
7. Permanent Representatives and Observers
are also advised of an additional specialized procedure for accreditation for
the Second World Assembly on Ageing. It will be possible for delegations
willing to utilize this option to submit electronically
to the Protocol and Liaison Service passport-like digital images of delegates
and their accreditation forms. Please be advised that photographs will only be accepted if they are submitted
in conjunction with delegation lists and completed accreditation forms.
Photographs submitted electronically should be prepared in .jpg format at
640x480 resolution and no larger than 50 kb in file size to facilitate their
conversion into the system. Delegations that choose to submit materials by
e-mail should mention the name of the Member State or organization in the
subject of their message. In addition, enclosed photographs and accreditation
forms should include the name of the Member State or organization and the name
of the individual delegate in the file name. Accreditation forms in English,
French and Spanish can be accessed at www.un.org/ageing. The list of
delegations, forms and images may be submitted by e-mail as of 22 March 2002
and should be sent to Marybeth Curran at curran@un.org. Once processed,
packages of conference passes will be available for collection from the
Protocol Accreditation Unit in Madrid.
8. Following past practice, heads of State
and Government, Vice-Presidents and Crown Princes will be issued VIP passes
without photos. Participants at the level of Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet
Minister will be issued VIP passes with photos. VIP passes for all the
above-mentioned categories of participants will be issued upon presentation of
the accreditation forms and, where required, one passport-sized photograph.
Spouses of delegates, regardless of rank, will be entitled to the same type of
passes as principals. Loss of a conference pass must be reported immediately to
United Nations security personnel in Madrid.
9. Members of security details and personal
bodyguards of VIPs participating in the Assembly will be issued special passes
by the United Nations Security and Safety Service.
10. The United Nations Protocol and Liaison
Service in Madrid will publish a list of delegates to the Second World Assembly
on Ageing. Permanent Representatives and Observers are kindly requested to
submit at their earliest convenience lists of their respective delegations to
the Assembly that should be comprehensive and contain functional titles and
designations of all delegates. Delegation lists can be forwarded to the Chief
of Protocol, Nadia Younes, Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations
Headquarters, New York, Room S-201A, fax: 212-963-1921 until 27 March 2002. As
of 1 April 2002, delegation lists and all other materials should be submitted
directly to the United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service at the Palacio
Municipal de Congresos, Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre, Madrid. Delegations
will be informed of the telephone and fax numbers at a later date.
11. The programme of meetings will be printed
in the Assembly Journal, which will be issued on a daily basis and will specify
the conference rooms and times of meetings.
12. Morning meetings are scheduled to take
place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and afternoon meetings from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. If
any evening sessions are required, they will generally begin at 6 p.m.
13. At the opening of the Assembly and at
subsequent meetings of the plenary, located on the third floor of the Centre,
each government delegation will be assigned four seats, two at table and two
behind.
14. In Auditorium B, located on the -4 level
of the Palacio, where meetings of the Main Committees will be held, each
government delegation will have two seats, one at table and one behind.
15. Specifically identified seating will be
available for other participants at the Assembly.
16. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish are the official languages of the Assembly.
17. Official documents of the Assembly will be
made available in the languages of the Assembly.
18. Statements made in any of the six official
languages will be interpreted into the other official languages. Any
representative may, in accordance with rule 52 of the provisional rules of
procedure, make a statement in a language other than a language of the
Assembly. In such cases, the delegation should provide either an interpretation
or a written text of the statement in one of the official languages. This
interpretation or written text will be considered by the Secretariat to
represent the official text of the statement and will be used by United Nations
interpreters as the basis for interpretation into the other official languages.
19. There will be interpretation services for
a total of two simultaneous meetings in both the morning and afternoon. The
servicing of all official meetings, extensions of official meetings beyond
their normal duration, or the provision of interpretation services to regional
or other major groupings of Member States should therefore be arranged within
that framework.
20. Meetings other than those of United
Nations bodies, such as meetings of regional or interest groups, will be
accommodated according to the availability of meeting rooms and services.
Requests for meetings services should be directed to Imre Karbuczky, Conference
Coordinator, or Jane Pittson, Deputy Conference Coordinator.
VIII. Circulation of prepared statements
21. A minimum of 30 copies of the text of
speeches to be delivered in plenary meetings and other meetings should be given
in advance to the conference officer; failing this, delegations are urged to
provide five copies (for interpretation into the five other official
languages). If delegations wish to have the text distributed to all delegations,
observers, specialized agencies, interpreters, record-writers and press
officers, 350 copies are required. All texts should be delivered before the
speaker takes the floor, preferably at the start of the meeting. Assembly
participants are reminded that the Secretariat will not be in a position to
offer reproduction services for such texts.
22. If written texts are provided in more than
one official language, delegations should indicate clearly which of those texts
is to be accepted as the official text. Furthermore, in order to avoid
confusion, delegations should also specify whether the official text is to be
“checked against delivery” or read out as written.
23. Delegations that wish to have their
statements posted on the Internet (Assembly web site) are kindly requested to
send an advance electronic copy of their statements to the following e-mail
address: webcast@un.org. Delegations that wish to make their speeches available
to the media in hard copy should provide a minimum of 300 copies to the documents
counter in the Media Centre.
IX. Distribution of official documents
24. The main documents distribution counter
for delegations will be located in the lobby at the main entrance.
25. Each delegation will be assigned an
individual box at the documents distribution counter in which copies of all
official documents issued during the Assembly will be placed. Delegations are
reminded that those document boxes, or pigeonholes, are exclusively for the
distribution of official Assembly documentation and may not be used for the
circulation of any other papers or documents.
26. To determine exact requirements, each
delegation is requested to advise the documents distribution counter of its
daily requirements in terms of the number of copies of each document it wishes
to receive during the Assembly and the language desired. The quantity requested
should be sufficient to cover all requirements since it will not be possible to
provide complete sets of documents after the Assembly.
27. Accredited non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and representatives of the press/media will be able to obtain official
Assembly documents at designated documents distribution desks. These desks will
be located in the NGO and press lounges.
X. Receipt and circulation of other documents
28. Other documents that Governments and
accredited organizations may wish to make available to Assembly participants
are to be provided by those Governments and accredited organizations in
appropriate languages and quantities. The Secretariat will undertake neither
reproduction nor translation of such documents. It is suggested that
Governments and accredited organizations make approximately 500 copies
available in English, with lesser numbers of the other official languages if
those are provided.
29. Two copies of each such document should be
forwarded to Lixian Xiong, Documents Submission Officer, for screening. They
will be listed in an information note to be circulated at the Assembly.
30. The Secretariat cannot undertake
translation, reproduction or distribution of such documents. Delegations will
be able to obtain these documents, however, in the areas outside the Plenary
and Main Committee rooms.
31. A Media Centre for the use of all
journalists accredited to cover the Assembly will be available on the ground
floor of the Palacio de Congresos, Auditorium A. Facilities will include a
limited number of computer workstations with Internet access available on a
first-come, first-served basis and a broadcast village for radio and television
journalists.
32. The plenary sessions and other activities
will be broadcast live into the Media Centre and by closed-circuit television
monitors located throughout the Assembly site. Audio-visual and sound feeds of
the plenary sessions, press conferences and other events will be provided to
broadcasters live on request, free of charge. Plug-in recording facilities will
be available.
33. A documents counter will provide
journalists with all Assembly documents as well as copies of daily press
releases in English, French and Spanish covering the main activities of the
Assembly. They will also be made available electronically on the Assembly web
site: www.un.org/ageing.
34. Details concerning press facilities and
media accreditation are contained in a separate information note issued by the
Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat.
XII. Press conferences and media interviews
35. Daily press briefings by the Spokesperson
for the Assembly will be held at 12 noon in the press briefing room located at
the Media Centre. This room will also be available for press conferences by
delegations and United Nations organizations. Requests for press conferences
should be directed to the Office of the Spokesperson for the Assembly in New
York at telephone 212-963-8104 until 29 March 2002 and thereafter at the Media
Centre of the Assembly.
36. To facilitate media contacts, delegations
are invited to provide to the Office of the Spokesperson the name and telephone
number in Madrid of the person in the delegation whom journalists can contact
to request interviews or other information.
XIII. Non-governmental organizations
37. Representatives of NGOs accredited to the
Second World Assembly on Ageing should complete a process of pre-registration
by 20 March 2002. On-site registration of NGO representatives will be conducted
by the Division for Social Policy and Development (Department of Economic and
Social Affairs). It will begin on 4 April and end on 12 April 2002. A
registration counter for NGOs will be open at the IFEMA Pavilion No.1 (next to
the Palacio), Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre, Madrid. The following timetable
has been set for registration:
Thursday, 4 April
— 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 5 April
— 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 6 April
— 12 noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday, 7 April
— 12 noon to 9 p.m.
Monday, 8 April
— 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, 9 April
— 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, 10 April
— 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday, 11 April
— 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 12 April
— 9 a.m.
Representatives of non-governmental
organizations will have access to a small number of offices as well as a
separate lounge in the Palacio for their use during the Assembly. The United
Nations focal point for NGOs is Yao N’Goran, who can be reached while in New
York at telephone 963-3175, fax 963-3062, e-mail ngoran@un.org and thereafter
in the Palacio.
38. A programme of seminars, panels and
workshops on issues relating to the Assembly is being organized for Assembly
participants by the Spanish Government and sponsored by entities of the United
Nations system, countries, international non-governmental organizations and the
private sector. These events will be held in close proximity to the site of the
Assembly, at the Juan Carlos Exhibition Centre (IFEMA), as well as at other
locations in Madrid. Events will begin on 5 April and continue through 12 April
2002. A calendar of these events will be available at the Assembly site.
39. In addition, there will be an NGO World
Forum on Ageing held in IFEMA Pavilion No. 2 from 5 to 9 April 2002. The
International Association on Gerontology will also sponsor a forum at the
Valencia Conference Centre Hall in Valencia from 1 to 4 April 2002.
Further details on these two events can be found in the brochure produced by
the Spanish Government entitled “Practical information guide for the
Second World Assembly on Ageing”, or at the web site
www.madrid2002-envejecimiento.org.
XV. Other useful information for participants
Visas
40. Instructions on the issuance of visas for
participants in the Assembly can be found in the brochure mentioned in the
previous paragraph.
Currency,
cheques and credit cards
41. In Spain, the currency used is the euro.
Foreign currencies and foreign currency travellers’ cheques may be exchanged at
banks and most hotels. There are no banking facilities in the Palacio, however
facilities are available elsewhere in the Exhibition Centre.
42. All major credit cards are widely accepted
in Spain. Foreign currency travellers’ cheques, credit cards, or cash may be
used to pay hotel and other expenses in Spain.
Electricity
43. The standard electricity in Spain is 220
volts. It is advisable to bring conversion plugs or adapters, if needed.
Climate
44. The average temperature in Madrid in April
is approximately 15 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Services
available at the Palacio de Congresos
45. Restaurants, cafeterias and coffee shops
at the Palacio will be open during Assembly hours. In addition, a post office,
a travel agency and a medical centre are located nearby.
46. A business centre will be established in
the Palacio for the use of Assembly participants on a commercial basis.
Internet
connection
47. The Department of Public Information will
provide live coverage of the Assembly through the World Wide Web. Internet
users around the world will be able to follow the Assembly proceedings by
viewing the live webcast and access information such as press releases, daily
highlights, official documents, daily journal, statements and other information
material at the following address: www.un.org/ageing.
48. 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 while in New York to focal points as follows (thereafter in the
Palacio):
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A. Department
of General Assembly Affairs and Conferences Services |
Assistant Secretary-General |
Miles Stoby |
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Secretary of the Assembly |
Margaret Kelley |
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Conference Coordinator |
Imre Karbuczky |
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Deputy Conference Coordinator |
Jane Pittson |
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B. Department
of Economic and Social Affairs |
Under-Secretary-General |
Nitin Desai |
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Division for Social Policy |
Johan Scholvinck |
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Programme on Ageing |
Alexandre Sidorenko |
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NGO accreditation |
Yao N’Goran |
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NGO/ECOSOC liaison |
Aurora Rodriguez |
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C. Protocol
and Liaison Service |
Focal point |
Almudena de Ameller |
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Accreditation |
Marybeth Curran |
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D. Security
and Safety Service |
Chief of United Nations Security |
Jorge Villanueva |
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Accreditation |
Newman Pieters |
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E. Department of Public Information |
Conference spokesperson |
Paul Hoeffel |
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Scheduling of press conferences and general media
information |
Edoardo Bellando Ellen McGuffie |
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TV/radio/technical information |
Ivan Stoynov |
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Media accreditation |
Sonia Lecca |