Tag: Conference
All questions with this tag
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1. Consult OHCHR’s Handbook for Civil Society- a guide on how the various UN human rights mechanisms work and how to engage with them.
2. Visit the webpage of OHCHR Civil Society Section
3. Register in Indico: https://reg.unog.ch/category/800/?flatlist.
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UNOG services intergovernmental meetings of United Nations Member States as well as of other select groups, including non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. For more details on the conference services offered by UNOG, see the Meetings & Events section.
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Please see the following information on event venues inside the Palais: https://ask.unog.ch/events/faq/178198
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To obtain information about the meetings which will be held at the Palais des Nations, have a look at our meetings and events calendar.
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The digital recordings of all "public" meetings can be accessed in all official languages on a dedicated portal online. The site allows for searches by date and key word. Thereafter, the audio language and requested segment of the meeting can be selected. The "floor" option will provide the recording of the original language in which the intervention was made, whereas the other languages will provide access to the interpretation. Only the intervention in the original language constitutes an authentic record of the proceedings. Please visit the web page for accessing recordings of meetings. Live webcast access is available in the original language that the intervention is being made, as well as in English (as broadcast from the interpretation booth). Please also check the web page for UN Web TV .
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The Division of Conference Management of the United Nations Office at Geneva serves primarily conferences and meetings for the United Nations bodies and its Programmes, Funds, Regional Commissions, and Specialized Agencies. Non-governmental organizations, and other organizations with special status, are also allowed to host meetings at the Palais des Nations.
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Recruitment of permanent translators is exclusively by means of competitive examinations. For additional information, please check the web page Language Careers.
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Freelance translators are recruited through informal tests that generally last half a day and can be arranged at short notice. For further information, please look at the Web page Language Careers.
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Yes.
- Check out our webpage on available facilities;
- Send us the signed form and a draft agenda at least 6 weeks prior to the desirable date;
- We will check for availability of rooms and revert within 3 working days.
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- Visit the UN Geneva meetings and events page on the website
- Consult the calendar. It is searchable by day, week or month. Click on the title of the event to see if it is public or private. Public events can be attended by NGOs.
- Sign up to mailing lists from the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNCTAD, etc.
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With a valid UNOG grounds pass, you are entitled to participate in any public UN Conference at Palais des Nations. However, we always recommend that you check for any additional registration requirements with the secretariat organizing a meeting you are interested in.
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Please check with the meeting organizer. You may also consult indico.un.org, the registration platform for UN meetings in Geneva.
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- Consult OHCHR’s Handbook for Civil Society- a guide on how the various UN human rights mechanisms work and how to engage with them.
- Visit the webpage of OHCHR Civil Society Section
- Register in Indico for an OHCHR event.
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Provide a copy of any prepared text in advance to the secretariat staff so that précis-writers and interpreters can refer to the text as you read it. Refer to paragraph numbers, not pages, in official United Nations documents. The pagination of United Nations documents often varies between language versions, but paragraph numbers remain the same. Give the paragraph references before reading out quotations, not after. Speak at a reasonable pace so that précis-writers and interpreters — and indeed other members of the audience — can follow your arguments. If you feel that a particular point or quotation should be placed on the record, say so.
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In general, the printing, design and layout, web and multimedia services are provided to international organizations based in Geneva; international organizations based in other duty stations may also request such services from UN Geneva.
Conference organizers and diplomatic missions based in Geneva can also request such service as part of the whole package of conference services. They can contact the Design and Printing Section of UN Geneva at genevapublishing@un.org.
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The Regulations for the Control and Limitation of Documentation, ST/AI/189/Add.3/Rev.2, define documents and publications: "A document is a text submitted to a principal organ or a subsidiary organ of the United Nations for consideration by it, usually in connection with item(s) on its agenda." United Nations documents are issued for or under the authority of intergovernmental bodies under a United Nations document symbol and include all official records and meeting records of organs or conferences of the United Nations. Attribution in United Nations documents is regulated according to established rules and practices under the authority of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management. United Nations documents normally bear, in addition to a title corresponding to the subject or agenda item, a subtitle indicating the entity or official responsible for submitting the document. In documents prepared for a body that does not have a sessional agenda, the main title may contain that information.
"The term 'United Nations publication' refers to any written material which is issued by the United Nations to the general public." Examples of United Nations publications include major studies and reports, monographs, edited volumes, statistical compilations, conference proceedings, journals, serial publications such as yearbooks, the United Nations Treaty Series and other international law publications. United Nations publications are generally published in response to legislative mandates or requests by intergovernmental bodies. They may be distributed free of charge or for a price. If sold, United Nations publications are assigned an International Standard Book Number (ISBN/eISBN) or, for serials and periodicals, an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN/eISSN). Publications may be published in print or electronic form, including as mobile applications, and in any other format or media as technology evolves. -
When liaising with the Meetings Management Section (MMS) for an upcoming request, make sure to list all elements. MMS will then advise and guide you further.
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The steps to open an account are explained on the dedicated Indico.UN help page. Once you have created your account, please contact the Indico.UN team which will assign a role (category manager or conference manager) to you.
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gMeets is a platform via which conference facilities and services are managed. This integrated application is a standard for conference management across all UN duty stations that support global standardized business processes and requirements. gMeets allows for global online booking of meeting rooms and conference services and provides conference planners and clients with online registration and self-servicing capabilities.
gMeets has been re-engineered on a modern platform as the web application for electronic booking of meeting services of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.
Any request for conference facilities and services at UN Geneva needs to be registered in gMeets, and hence anyone requesting these services can use gMeets. The Meetings Management Section at UN Geneva will provide the necessary guidance and assistance.
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When general accessibility measures do not meet individual requirements, conference participants may request reasonable accommodation. Such requests should be sent to the organizing Secretariat via the Indico.UN registration. Organizing Secretariats can then discuss with the Division of Conference Management and the Security and Safety Service how the specific request can be accommodated. The organizing Secretariats should activate a short questionnaire for all of their events in Indico.UN, allowing participants to indicate their needs for reasonable accommodation when they register for the meeting. If the short questionnaire is not activated, participants have a possibility to indicate their needs in the free-text box.
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Participants can test their connection one hour before the meeting starts. The focus is on speakers during a session, i. e. anyone who is known to take the floor. For the morning session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. testing starts at 9 am. For the afternoon session from 3 to 6 p.m., testing starts at 2 p.m. Speakers who will intervene only in the afternoon session should test from 2 p.m. onwards.
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Press conferences organized in the press room by UN entities are filmed by UNTV, and the footage is made available on www.unognewsroom.org.
For any other specific needs, the Design and Printing Section provides photo and filming services to its clients. This includes photo and video shooting, photo and video editing, as well as captioning and animations. However, the Section does not provide filming or streaming of entire conferences.
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Conference rooms are usually open at least one hour before the start of the meeting. If conference organizers need more time to set up the room, they should liaise with the Meetings Management Section. Access will depend on other meetings that may be scheduled before the meeting in question.
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Yes. All requests are subject to the official agreement of the administration and the security services. The catering services must be provided by the official UN Geneva caterer.
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Conference interpretation can be performed in three ways: simultaneously, consecutively and by whispering (chuchotage). In simultaneous mode, the interpreters sit in sound-proof booths where the speaker is heard through headphones and they deliver a running interpretation transmitted through a microphone to participants in the meeting who wear earphones. Consecutive mode, occasionally used, consists of the interpreter sitting at the conference table, taking notes and delivering the statement in another language. Whispering (chuchotage), also occasionally used in certain working environments such as field missions, press conferences, and high-level bilateral private meetings, consists of the interpreter simultaneously whispering the interpretation directly to a very limited audience with or without mobile equipment. For additional information, please refer to our web page about language services.
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In United Nations terms,
(a) a standing body, usually established by the General Assembly, devoted to the study of a particular topic, with a permanent secretariat unit linked to it, e.g. the Conference on Disarmament, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,
(b) a formal time-limited gathering - often called a special conference - of Governments and observers established by the General Assembly (A/CONF) or the Economic and Social Council (E/CONF) to examine a particular topic and to report thereon, e.g. the International Conference on Population and Development, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,
(c) a session, usually annual or biennial, of States parties to a Convention, e.g. the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa.
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Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record.
They should be sent to dms-dcm@un.org within one week of the date of the document in question.Any corrections submitted will be duly checked against the audio recordings of the meeting. Any corrections to the records of public meetings of a committee are consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.
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Requests can be submitted at any time. For requests with conference services, however, availability of services needs to be checked and the respective cost estimate has to be approved in due time; a late acceptance of the latter may lead to the non-availability of queried services.
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No. According to UN Geneva rules regarding the organization of functions the official caterer is the sole entity authorized to provide catering services for reasons of food safety and access to the premises among others.
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Entrances at Door 40 and Tempus Building are fully accessible. Entrances to all conference rooms should be wheel-chair-friendly. For more information, visit our page on accessibility.
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The Indico.UN help page "Create an event" gives step-by-step instructions on how meeting organizers can register their event in Indico.UN.
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UN Geneva provides services such as the development of microsites, display of interactive information on TV screens, photography, videography, drone footage, and 3D printing of established 3D modules, etc. The microsites are usually developed to promote important publications of clients.
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Once a request is submitted in gMeets, you can no longer make amendments. Should this be necessary, please contact the Meetings Management Section directly. If the additional services are requested, they will be accommodated depending on availability.
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If you are organizing an official press conference at the Palais des Nations through the UN Information Service, where all UN accredited media can attend, the Service will put at your disposal a press conference room or a stake-out position. You can hold interviews there after the press conference.
If you wish to organize a briefing with a select group of journalists or media outlets only, you need to book a room with the Division of Conference Management for this purpose.
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No. According to UN Geneva rules regarding the organization of functions the official caterer is the sole entity authorized to provide catering services for reasons of food safety and access to the premises among others.
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While the layout of the conference rooms cannot be changed, decorations and flower arrangements are allowed, as long as relevant security and safety regulations are respected. Flower arrangements have to be ordered separately and cannot be provided by UN Geneva services. It is not allowed to fix anything on the walls of the conference rooms. To display posters, separate stand-alone walls can be requested. Please discuss your needs with the Meetings Management Section.
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A meeting is a gathering of two or more persons for three or fewer hours in sequence (one of a series of meetings during a session) during which a legislative, administrative or deliberative body occupies a conference room and/or a space on a meeting platform and requires some conference services.
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In accordance with General Assembly Resolution 56/242 of 18 January 2002, meetings at the Secretariat should take place during normal office hours on working days, defined as from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm and 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Extending a meeting beyond three hours may only be granted in exceptional circumstances and is subject to extra costs. Meeting organizers needing to request such an extension must contact the Meeting Management Section (MMS) of the Division of Conference Management or through the meetings services assistant in the room no later than 30 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to finish. Requests addressed to the audio-visual services, the webcasting team or other service providers will be referred to MMS. MMS will coordinate between the different parts of the UN Geneva conferencing ecosystem to determine if the extension can be granted. The meeting organizer will be informed if the meeting can continue in the same room and if all required services are available, e.g. the hybrid meeting platform, webcasting, etc. Due to the provisions of the UN common system agreement with the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), it is not possible to extend interpretation services beyond 15 minutes of the regular time unless specific exceptional measures have been put in place in advance of the meeting in agreement with the Chief of the Interpretation Service (exceptions may apply to the Human Rights Council). Meeting extensions of more than 15 minutes incur additional costs which will subsequently be charged to the meeting organizer through the final bill.
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Participants of meetings can indicate in their Indico.UN registration form that they would need vehicle access (private cars, not taxis) due to reduced mobility. The meeting secretariat should inform the Security and Safety Service in advance to ensure that conference participants with reduced mobility can enter with their vehicle on the day of the meeting.
Persons with disabilities are automatically granted priority access upon arrival to Peace Gate. They are also given a map of the Palais which indicates accessible doors, elevators, and restrooms. If visitors choose to drive to the Palais, priority parking spaces for persons with disabilities have been allocated.
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Yes. Culinary specialties can complete the cocktail offers with the agreement of the UN Geneva caterer. Such exceptions will be granted on the basis of compliance by the requester with the food hygiene and food safety rules concerning the culinary preparation, the transport and the storage of these specialties.
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Yes, UN Geneva supports its clients in printing all kinds of outreach and promotional materials. This includes but is not limited to banners, flyers, leaflets, post cards, small and large posters, roll-ups, stickers, calendars, bookmarks, etc.
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Indico.UN is integrated with other UN Secretariat conference management systems that handle room bookings, transcripts, or security services. The corresponding features are available only for specific UN conference venues. It is also integrated with Zoom providing a robust solution for hybrid and virtual events. It also comes with integrated dashboards that empower organizations with valuable insights about event participation.
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Room bookings can be cancelled until the beginning of the scheduled meeting time. Given the current significantly reduced capacities, a timely cancelation would allow us to reassign the slot to queries from other clients. Also, request on an extrabudgetary provision need to be cancelled two weeks prior to the planned meeting start, as otherwise, costs may still be incurred due to commitments made by service providers (e.g., recruitments).
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The “UNOG_Public_Wifi” Wifi Network is open to all conference participants and does not require a password. Access to it is guaranteed in common areas.
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Yes. Culinary specialties can complete the cocktail offers with the agreement of the UN Geneva caterer. Such exceptions will be granted on the basis of compliance by the requester with the food hygiene and food safety rules concerning the culinary preparation, the transport and the storage of these specialties.
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You can book your tour online. As tour capacities are limited, please make sure to book early.
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Room bookings can be cancelled until the beginning of the scheduled meeting time. Given the current significantly reduced capacities, a timely cancelation would allow us to reassign the slot to queries from other clients. Also, request on an extrabudgetary provision need to be cancelled two weeks prior to the planned meeting start, as otherwise, costs may still be incurred due to commitments made by service providers (e.g., recruitments).
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The Information Service sends out official press conference announcements and notes to correspondents regarding UN events and activities to journalists accredited to the United Nations in Geneva.
UN agencies and Member States must send their own press materials to the media.
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The “UNOG_Public_Wifi” Wifi Network is open to all conference participants and does not require a password. Access to it is guaranteed in common areas.
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Conference organizers are free to use the dedicated door card holders, as long as nothing is permanently fixed on the doors.
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Summary records are posted as soon as they are available on the committee web site under the relevant session and can also be found in the Official Document System (ODS) of the UN.
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UN Geneva provides support only for a limited number of selected mandated sessions outside the UN Geneva premises.
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You are welcome to indicate your preference for a specific conference room when first contacting the Meetings Management Section (MMS) or the focal point in your organization. Room allocation depends on room availability, and the queried conference room may not be available. MMS will always assign the best available option.
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Yes, the Printing Section can print large and small quantities of publications. Small quantities may be printed on short notice, i.e., with a turnaround time of one to two weeks. Please contact genevapublishing@un.org for advice.
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No. According to UN Geneva rules regarding the organization of functions the official caterer is the sole entity authorized to provide catering services for reasons of food safety and access to the premises among others. In the case of functions organized in connection with events of a cultural nature (exhibition openings, concerts, etc.) permanent missions or authorized entities wishing to serve culinary specialties not available from the UN Geneva caterer may be authorized to make use of their own catering staff subject to approval by Administration. In no case may they engage a private catering company.
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The Security and Safety Service has three wheelchairs that can be made available for visiting adults with reduced mobility. They are located at the Peace Gate, Pregny Gate and Door 40. Another two pediatric wheelchairs can be made available for visiting children with reduced mobility, one at Peace Gate and one at Pregny Gate. If a participant knows in advance that he or she will require a wheelchair, he/she can make a note when registering on Indico.UN and they will be booked for them in particular. The wheelchairs offered by the Security and Safety Service require someone to assist the individuals using them.
The Visitors Center has another two wheelchairs available. They can be booked through the Visitors Center.
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Indico.UN is currently used by organizations that belong to the UN system and international organizations. Any organization outside the UN Secretariat needs to enter into a Service Level Agreement.
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Flip charts can be requested through gMeets at the moment of submitting the meeting room request. Conference organizers can also contact the service in charge directly, for example to find out if sufficient numbers of flip charts are available: unog-nameplates.conferencerequest@un.org.
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The UN Information Service does not organize fully virtual press conferences.
The Information Service facilitates hybrid press conferences (using Zoom) only when a UN entity is the sponsor or co-sponsor of the press conference and moderates the event. Journalists and speakers then have the option to participate online but the moderator needs to be physically present in the press room at the Palais des Nations.
For Member States-sponsored press conferences, only the in-person mode is available.
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In principle, UN Geneva is mandated to accommodate the official UN Calendar of Conferences and Meetings, as well as any other official session or event as instructed by senior management. If changes to meeting room bookings have to be made for reasons beyond the control of the Division of Conference Management, the Meetings Management Section will do its outmost to find a suitable alternative room or time slot.
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Use of IT equipment inside conference rooms is restricted to technical staff, support staff and conferencing staff. Sometimes, publicly accessible cyber-cafés are made available to conference participants where they can access both computers and printers.
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No. According to UN Geneva rules regarding the organization of functions the official caterer is the sole entity authorized to provide catering services for reasons of food safety and access to the premises among others. In the case of functions organized in connection with events of a cultural nature (exhibition openings, concerts, etc.) permanent missions or authorized entities wishing to serve culinary specialties not available from the UN Geneva caterer may be authorized to make use of their own catering staff subject to approval by Administration. In no case may they engage a private catering company.
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Use of IT equipment inside conference rooms is restricted to technical staff, support staff and conferencing staff. Sometimes, publicly accessible cyber-cafés are made available to conference participants where they can access both computers and printers.
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Putting in place a ramp should be requested from the Meetings Management Section which will inform the movers. For security reasons, the person with reduced mobility has to be accompanied when using the ramp.
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The Indico.UN team provides an online step-by-step guide for participant registration. Please share the link to the guide with your participants.
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If you are interested in learning more about Indico.UN, we invite you to contact us. We will share a presentation explaining how the system works and what functionalities it has. We can also give interested entities a demonstration of the system. Please get in touch with us.
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In case of a medical emergency of a conference participant, the Security Control Center can be contacted at +41 22 917 21 12 or a UN Geneva Security Officer can be informed. The emergency number 112 can also be called from a fixed phone.
Participants can also contact the Medical Service for advice at +41 22 917 28 07 (nurses) or +41 22 917 25 20 (reception). These numbers are not for emergencies, as there may be moments when the phone cannot be answered. You may also contact the nurses by email: unognurses@un.org.
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Please write to ineed-unog-css-flags@un.org to request a flag for a meeting.
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Media outlets with press accreditation can broadcast live from the Palais des Nations using their own equipment. For large news events, broadcasters can connect their equipment to a UNTV live feed. No live standups are allowed during press conferences and stakeouts or in meeting areas while the event is still in progress. No recording or live transmission is allowed in areas reserved for coffee breaks or food service.
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In case of a medical emergency of a conference participant, the Security Control Center can be contacted at +41 22 917 21 12 or a UN Geneva Security Officer can be informed. The emergency number 112 can also be called from a fixed phone.
Participants can also contact the Medical Service for advice at +41 22 917 28 07 (nurses) or +41 22 917 25 20 (reception). These numbers are not for emergencies, as there may be moments when the phone cannot be answered. You may also contact the nurses by email: unognurses@un.org.
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Conference participants have access to a space in the E-Building, ground floor (on the same level as the Cafeteria, near the offices of UNTV) to pursue religious practice.
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Conference participants have access to a space in the E-Building, ground floor (on the same level as the Cafeteria, near the offices of UNTV) to pursue religious practice.
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Yes, we do share a presentation explaining how the system works and what functionalities it has. We can also give interested entities a demonstration of the system. Please get in touch with us.
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UN agencies and Member States can organize press conferences at the Palais des Nations. To organize a press conference, please contact the United Nations Information Service, Solange Behoteguy Cortes and Elisa Landozzi, who will guide you through the process.
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Certainly, please let us know by email how many events and overall participants you expect every year, and we will get back to you with an estimate.
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Please liaise with the Central Support Services/Facility Management Section, Mr. Etienne Martinet (phone: Tel.: +41 22 917 2997, email: etienne.martinet@un.org).
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Based on their Indico.UN registration, conference participants may enter the Palais des Nations through the Pregny Gate where they receive a badge. Doors 40 and the doors of the Tempus Building are always open and do not require a coded badge to be opened (as may be the case for some other doors of different buildings).
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Please contact genevapublishing@un.org to obtain a quotation for the cost of printing. UN Geneva colleagues managing this email will direct you to the relevant Design and Multimedia Unit colleagues to discuss your specific needs and requirements, before a quotation is prepared.
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A dedicated room for nursing mothers is available in the E-building, third floor, room E.3054-2. It also contains a changing table for babies. Conference participants who need to access the room, should contact the Security at +41 22 917 29 00 and ask them to open the door remotely.
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Yes, Indico.UN works with UN Secretariat organizations, UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies, non-UN organizations and private entities worldwide.
Meeting organizers must arrange the venue, consult the security in charge and arrange any other related service outside of Indico.UN. At the same time, they can leverage on the conference and participants management features of Indico.UN to create the event page, set up and customize the registration and the timetable, set up email notifications to participants, set up security roles, manage the registrations and send email notifications, perform security management activities, badge printing and check-in activities.
Indico.UN is integrated with other UN Secretariat conference management systems that handle room bookings, transcripts, or security services. The corresponding features are available only for specific UN conference venues. Please consult the Indico.UN support team for more details.
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In principle, the consumption of food and beverages other than water in conference rooms is strictly forbidden. Water for the speakers can be requested via the official caterer, Eldora (phone: +41 22 917 5619, email: onu@eldora.ch).
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Member States or UN entities can bring their own photographer or videographer to document their press conference or participation in an official UN event or conference. The official videographer and photographer must be accredited as part of the official delegation, or organizers of the event, and not as press, as they are not media representatives.
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The seating order is organized as per the request of the organizing Secretariat and following UN protocol. Podium and protocol arrangements should be in accordance with established United Nations standards, rules and procedures of the meeting. The Meetings Management Section and the Meetings Servicing Unit can advise on official seating protocol.
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No. The Information Service only provides the list of UN Geneva accredited journalists to the spokespersons of UN entities based in Geneva, in line with guidance on data protection.
Member States or NGOs that would like to send out press materials to journalists accredited at the Palais des Nations can reach out to the Association of United Nations Accredited Correspondents (ACANU), which could potentially share your material with their members. You can reach them at acanu.secretary@acanu.ch.
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In general, interpretation is provided for UN Geneva conferences and meetings in the six UN languages. Please discuss all non-standard requests for interpretation with your counterpart at the Meetings Management Section when first reserving the meeting room.
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Interpretation and other services can be requested on a reimbursable basis, on an extrabudgetary provision. The Meetings Management Section at UN Geneva will need to verify availability of queried services, for which a cost estimate will be raised. The estimate has to be accepted in due time by the client to assure the availability and ultimately the provision of queried services. Service providers can only arrange for the necessary once the cost estimate has been accepted, and hence a late acceptance may lead to the non-availability of queried services.
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If the submitter knows in advance that a document has to be submitted late, he or she can reach out to the Documents Management Section (DMS) and negotiate late slotting. If the late submission is not anticipated, the document will be processed as per capacity with no commitment on the release date. If the document is slotted, the delay will be reflected in the official submission compliance of the submitting department.
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If a correction is flagged while a document is still being processed, the information can be included. A new final original file has to be submitted to the Documents Management Section (DMS). If the correction is communicated when the document has already been published, a formal correction by means of a corrigendum or revision will be required.