Eleventh meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Protocol on PRTRs

The meeting will be held in an in-person format. Interpretation in English, French and Russian during the sessions will be provided. Online participation will not be possible. After considering the relevant elements presented in the report of the Secretary General entitled Pattern of Conferences (A/78/96), the General Assembly did not establish a mandate or provide required guidance on rules of procedures, conditions of service for interpreters, security, authentication and universal access for the continuation of provision of online or hybrid meeting services. In the absence of such a mandate and legislative framework, hybrid and virtual meeting services are no longer being provided by the United Nations Office at Geneva through regular budgetary funds effective 22 January 2024. At the same time, these services, be requested in exceptional circumstances, could be covered through extrabudgetary contributions. However, as of 8 October 2024 such exceptions are no longer granted.

The secretariat is exploring possible options to stream the event and will provide you with more details closer to the meeting.  As for all UN public meetings, any interested individual can also follow the meeting through audio means: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/index.html

In order to facilitate meeting proceedings, delegations willing to take the floor are requested to subscribe to the Speaker’s list by 1 November 2024 by specifying under what agenda item(s) the delegation is willing to intervene. To assist interpretation, delegations are invited to provide the secretariat with the text of the statement(s) by the same date. Please let the secretariat know if you wish to make your statement publicly available prior to the meeting. Otherwise, the statements will not be made publicly available and will be shared with interpreters only. In addition, there will be also opportunity for spontaneous interventions if time permits.

Please submit the above information to the secretariat at  public.participation[at]un.org, indicating in the subject line “GRT4/WGP11 statements”.

All participants attending the meetings are requested to register online as soon as possible through the following link:  https://indico.un.org/e/PRTRs_Week_2024

We recommend using Google Chrome browser for the online meeting registration. Please ensure that you provide us with your telephone, and postal and email addresses, which can be made publicly available through the list of participants.

To ensure that you receive all important correspondence about the meetings and that the secretariat is able to make all required practical and other arrangements on time, we urge participants to register online as soon as possible, even if you hold a UNOG ground entry pass.

Delegates are requested to modify registration any time after the registration is submitted in case of changes in their participation or other details provided in the registration form.

Participants requiring a personal invitation letter for visa purposes should click on the “visa required” option and register for the meeting as early as possible, taking into account the period required to obtain the visa.

The secretariat will be in a position to support limited number of delegates from countries with economies in transition, eligible for financial support, selected speakers and NGOs.  Please indicate your request for financial support in Indico registration form by the deadline.

Representatives of Governments applying for financial support are also requested to upload in Indico the duly signed  financial support request form . Kindly note that financial support request would be considered only after submission of duly filled in financial support request form and online registration through the link mentioned above.

NGOs and other participants applying for financial support should indicate their request in the Indico registration form by the deadline. NGOs representatives are encouraged to coordinate their input to the upcoming meeting with the Aarhus ECO Forum (contact:  christian.schaible[at]eeb.org).

Deadline for registration with financial support: 7 October 2024
Deadline for registration without financial support: 5 November 2024

Delegates are requested to check all requirements regarding medical and other relevant insurance prior to the travel. Please be informed that any medical, quarantine or other possible expenses will be borne by your Organisation and/or insurance, as the United Nations do not take any responsibility for possible health-related consequences. 

Wireless internet is available in all meeting rooms. Note that electrical power plugs and sockets are unique to Switzerland within the UNECE region (type J, three-pin, 230 V, 50 Hz), and respectively require an adaptor, though slim two-pin plugs (type C) will fit.

Food and beverages (except water) are strictly forbidden in the conference rooms of the Palais. You can drink tap water at the Palais des Nations. As there will be no drinking water served in the meeting room, we encourage delegates to bring reusable bottles or containers for tap water.

Delegates are only allowed to enter the Palais with what is considered as carry-on luggage, e.g. computer bags, rucksacks and hand bags. There is no luggage storage available at the Palais. Delegates remain responsible for the luggage they bring to the Palais throughout their stay.

For additional practical information, please consult:  https://unece.org/practical-information-delegates and  https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/practical-information