Call the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (OSSG) to reserve the Press Briefing Room (S-237). Telephone numbers are 212-963-7707, and 212-963-7160.
Send a confirmation email to Jamille McCord, email: mccord<at>un.org. The Spokesperson’s Office will need the following information: subject of the press conference (one line only), names and titles of all participants including the moderator. For press conferences by Heads of State and Government, missions can provide a moderator, or the Department of Public Information (DPI) will provide a moderator when possible.
Press conferences are scheduled for 30 minutes. Heads of State and Government are allowed up to 45 minutes, except during the General Assembly Debate period, when time slots are limited. The room will hold a maximum of 127 people. Interpretation in official languages is provided for Heads of State and Government when available. If a delegation wishes to provide consecutive interpretation, the interpreter should sit next to the main speaker on the podium. OSSG will arrange for TV, audio, photo and press coverage of the event. (The maximum number of seats on the podium is five.)
Attendance at press conferences is limited to accredited journalists. Press attachés may attend a press conference sponsored by their mission.
Press conferences by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must be sponsored by a UN office or agency, or by a mission to the United Nations. The sponsoring mission will need to follow steps 1 and 2 above to reserve the room for the NGO.
Press Stakeouts – Contact the Spokesperson’s Office to arrange for a stakeout by a government official. Stakeouts are normally held on the 2nd floor of the North Lawn Building. When the Security Council meets, a stakeout is set up outside the Security Council, and is available for participants of the Council meeting. If desired, the Spokesperson’s office can inform the media of planned stakeouts.
Information regarding press conferences and press stakeouts is circulated to the media in different ways. The Spokesperson’s Office publishes a “Week Ahead” document on Fridays. The Media Accreditation Office publishes a daily “Media Alert”, and posts it at http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/alert.shtml. The General Assembly also publishes this information in the “UN Journal” and posts it at http://www.un.org/en/ga.
