The Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria informs you that the sixth session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body will convene in Geneva as of 18 October, and the Co-Chairs will for the first time meet the day before together with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Geir O. Pedersen, to prepare the session.
As Mr. Pedersen noted to the Security Council, the Co-Chairs’ agreement on methodology is based on three pillars that formed the basis of the Special Envoy’s engagement with them: 1) respect for the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure; 2) the submission of texts of basic constitutional principles in advance of the meetings; and 3) regular Co-Chair meetings with Mr. Pedersen before and during the coming session. The Co-Chairs are also committed to setting provisional dates for future meetings and discussing a workplan.
The Constitutional Committee meets in closed sessions, but the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria will endeavour to inform you of developments and media opportunities.
Arrivals of Committee Members during the week will be covered by UNTV / UN photo team in Geneva. Accredited journalists are also welcomed to cover arrivals and departures, with location information and guidelines to be provided soon. As the COVID-19 challenges in Geneva remain a concern, please respect masking and social distancing guidelines. Edits of the material will be made available via standard UN arrangements.
On Sunday 17 October, schedule permitting, the Special Envoy, Mr. Pedersen, will give a hybrid press briefing in Room XXVII at approximately 3 p.m. Room capacity is 16 person. Priority will be given to visual press and permanently accredited journalists. A live webcast can be viewed on http://webtv.un.org, also available with Arabic interpretation. A link will also be sent for online participation.
Kindly note that if you plan to attend the briefing in person, wearing a mask is mandatory in Press Room XXVII.
Journalists with permanent accreditation at UN Headquarters and journalists based outside of Switzerland requesting accreditation will be permitted to participate provided they meet entry requirements for Switzerland available here. Media accreditation requests can be submitted here.