Information for participants

Venue of the meetings

The meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions will be held from 24 April to 5 May 2017 at the following venue:

Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG)
17, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 (0) 22 791 91 11
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 791 90 64
Internet: www.cicg.ch

Registration

The names and contact information of your designated representatives (including postal addresses, telephone numbers, facsimile numbers and e-mail addresses, where available) should be communicated to the Secretariat of the three conventions using the registration form. Please send your registration forms (if you are a Party to at least one of the conventions, together with an official nomination letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a note verbale from the Permanent Mission of your country to the United Nations in Geneva, no later than Friday, 20 January 2017) to the following address:

Ms. Stéphanie Cadet
Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
International Environment House 1
11-13 chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine
Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 (0) 22 917 83 24
E-mail: stephanie.cadet@brsmeas.org 

On-site registration will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, 23 April 2017, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, 24 April 2017, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the remaining days of the meetings. Security checks will be carried out at the conference centre each time you enter the venue. Please note that owing to the high number of participants expected, we strongly recommend that you register on Sunday or as early as possible.

Schedule of the meetings 

On Sunday, 23 April 2017, preparatory meetings, including regional and bureaux meetings, will be held. Information on the preparatory meetings will be announced in due time.

The meetings will open on Monday, 24 April 2017, at 10 a.m. Further information on the schedule of work is provided in document:: UNEP/CHW.13/INF/2-UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/INF/2-UNEP/SC/COP.8/INF/2

Delegates wishing to attend only specific sessions of the meetings, should keep in mind that the order and timing of sessions may change, depending on decisions made by the bureaux of the conferences of the Parties and on the time required for discussion. Delegates are invited to take this into consideration when making their travel arrangements.

Credentials (for Parties to the conventions)

In accordance with rule 18 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, rule 19 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and rule 19 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, Parties must submit the credentials of the representatives, as well as the names of the alternate representatives and advisers, who will constitute the delegation for your State or regional economic integration organization to the meetings of those of the three conventions to which their State or regional economic integration organization is a Party. 

For your convenience, a model form of credentials is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish:

Title Arabic Chinese
English
French
Spanish
Russian
Model form of credentials 2.49 MB 1.99 MB
2.49 MB 1.99 MB 2.49 MB1.99 MB 2.49 MB1.99 MB 2.49 MB1.99 MB 2.49 MB1.99 MB

In accordance with the respective rules of procedure, credentials must be issued by the head of State or Government, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs or, in the case of a regional economic integration organization, by the competent authority of that organization. Information regarding any change in the composition of the delegation should be submitted using the same procedure.

Moreover, credentials shall be submitted if possible, no later than 24 hours after the opening of the meetings (therefore by 10 am on Tuesday, 24 April 2017). However, the Secretariat invites Parties to submit an advance copy of the credentials, preferably by 7 April 2017, as doing so will greatly facilitate the clearance process.

The bureaux of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, during their joint meeting held from 3 to 4 November 2016, agreed on the approach they will follow when preparing the reports on credentials for the meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in 2017. The bureaux agreed that when examining credentials received, they would accept original credentials in good order as well as copies of credentials in good order with the understanding that the original will be submitted as soon as possible.

Security identification documentation and badges for meeting participants

Security identification badges are issued to participants upon arrival at the meetings and upon completion of the relevant registration procedure and admissions procedure for observers.

Meeting participants may collect their security identification badges at the registration desks upon presentation of one of the following identification documents issued by a government recognized by the United Nations:

  • Valid national passport;
  • Valid picture identification card, in Latin alphabets;
  • Valid picture “residency” card, in Latin alphabets; or
  • Valid picture drivers licence, in Latin alphabets.

Guidelines for rules of conduct for meeting participants

The attention of meeting participants is drawn to two new guidelines for rules of conduct developed by the Secretariat:

High-level segment

The meetings will include a high-level segment on the afternoon of Thursday, 4 May 2017 and the morning of Friday, 5 May 2017.  The theme of the meetings and the high-level segment will be “A future detoxified: sound management of chemicals and waste”. Further information on the programme, ministerial discussions and organizational aspects of the high-level segment is provided in document UNEP/CHW.13/INF/3 - UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/INF/3 - UNEP/POPS/COP.8/INF/3.

Side events

Requests for side events should be sent no later than Friday, 3 March 2017 to Ms. Marylène Beau at the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions at the following e-mail address: marylene.beau@brsmeas.org.

Up to two side events can be held in parallel during lunch breaks and in the evenings following the plenary sessions. If more requests for side events are received than there are slots available, organizers of side events may be invited to organize joint events. A draft schedule of side events will be published on the meetings’ website prior to the meetings. Detailed information on side events is available here.

Technology Fair

A Technology Fair will be held from 27 to 29 April 2017 to highlight the importance of the role of external partners such as, industry and the private sector in the successful implementation of the Conventions. A maximum of 20 exhibition booths will be made available for interested partners to showcase their activities during the three days of the Fair. Requests for booths should be sent no later than Friday, 3 March 2017 to María Cristina Cardenas Fischer at the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions at the following e-mail address: maria-cristina.cardenas@brsmeas.org.

Exhibitions and promotional material

Requests for exhibitions should be sent no later than Friday, 3 March 2017 to Mr. Charles Avis at the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, at the following e-mail address: charles.avis@brsmeas.org.

Promotional or exhibition materials may be sent directly to the conference centre from 14 April 2017 at the following address:

co. Ms. Marina Bartolomei
Project Manager
2017BRS COPs
Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG)
17, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 (0) 22 791 90 63
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 791 90 64
Email: m.bartolomei@cicg.ch

Paperless meeting

The meetings will be paperless and printed documents will not be available at the meetings. Pre-session documents will be made available on the meetings’ website and in-session documents (such as conference room papers) will be available electronically via wireless intranet or memory stick only.

Making a meeting paperless considerably reduces the cost and carbon footprint of the meeting. A paperless meeting also makes it easier for participants to locate documents and allows for faster preparation and distribution of conference room papers.

To facilitate the paperless nature of the meetings, participants are requested to ensure the following:

  • Each participant should bring a laptop computer containing basic applications, including Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Reader and updated antivirus software.
  • Laptops should be pre-checked for viruses and confirmed as virus-free prior to arrival at the meetings. Virus‑free laptops are crucial to the success of a paperless meeting.
  • Participants should bring a memory stick that has been pre-checked for viruses for the purpose of transferring documents.
  • Laptops should be configured for a standard wireless (Wi-Fi) connection. If in doubt, please check with your local information technology expert.
  • Participants should bring an appropriate adaptor to enable laptops to be connected to Swiss power sockets.
  • When completing the registration form of the meetings, participants should include a current e-mail address, so that they can be sent correspondence relating to the meetings. 

Visa 

It is the responsibility of each participant to apply for the required visa. Visas must be obtained prior to arrival.

Please note that a Schengen visa is required even for transiting through Schengen zone European Countries.  The time needed for a request for visa to be processed may vary from case to case.  It is therefore strongly recommended that visa applications be made with sufficient time in advance, so that a Schengen visa can be issued.

More information is available on the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs at the following links: 

Insurance 

The United Nations does not cover life or medical insurance for participants. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the participants or of their Governments to obtain adequate insurance prior to travel to Switzerland.

Accommodation

It is the responsibility of participants to make their own arrangements for accommodation. The Secretariat encourages all Parties to make such arrangements at the earliest possible opportunity.

An updated list of hotels offering preferential rates to the United Nations is available.

Local transportation and security 

Once in Geneva, reaching the conference centre is simple. The international airport (Geneva Cointrin) is about 5 kilometers from the conference centre, a journey of approximately 10 minutes by taxi. The main railway station (Geneva Cornavin) is 2 kilometers from the conference centre and the two are linked by public transport (tramway and bus) and by taxi.

Public transport in Geneva is fast, frequent, safe and clean. Bus number 10 links the airport with downtown Geneva, with connections approximately every eight minutes, and train services are also available. The Unireso ticket, offered by the Geneva airport authority, allows the free use of public transport in the city for a period of 80 minutes. Unireso tickets can be obtained from the machine in the baggage collection area on the arrivals level of the airport.

The conference centre can be reached from the main railway station by taking bus number 5 (alight at either the Vermont stop or the Varembé stop), bus number 8 (alight at the International Telecommunications Union stop) or tram number 13 or 15 in the direction of Nations (alight at Sismondi).

Taxis are easily available and safe, but comparatively expensive. If you need a taxi, call 022 320 22 02 or 022 331 41 33.

Although Geneva is a comparatively safe place and violent crime is rare, the incidence of pickpocketing and theft has increased considerably over the last few years. Participants are advised to pay particular attention at the airport, around the Cornavin railway station and in the Paquis district of the city, and to not leave their luggage unattended at any time.

Electricity

Participants are kindly requested to bring their own power adaptors.

Voltage: 230 volts
Frequency: 50 Hz
Plug/socket: C (CEE 7/16) , J

C (CEE 7/16)- photo Wikimedia Commons plug J - photo Wikimedia Commons

Currency

Swiss franc (CHF). Average exchange rates: 1 US dollar~ 0,97 CHF. 1 Euro ~ 1,22 CHF.

Restaurants

The CICG bar and restaurant are located on the ground and first-floor levels. Other cafes, restaurants and shops are within walking distance of the CICG.