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CONGO E-Update • 9 April 2009 Special Edition Durban Review Conference
The CoNGO E-Update is produced by staff in New York, Geneva and Vienna, with contributions from members and affiliated partners. - Watch out for new and exciting changes in future E-Updates!
Please note that the next edition of the CoNGO E-Update after the Easter holidays will be released on 22 April 2009.
In this issue:
Durban Review Process - NGO Attestations for participation at the Durban Review Conference Durban Review Process – NGO access to conference proceedings During Review Process – Resources available to NGOs during the Durban Review Conference
Civil Society Forum for the Durban Review Conference The Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy
UN Events and Announcements:
Durban Review Conference, 20 – 24 April 2009, Geneva The Durban Review Conference will be held at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 20 to 24 April 2009. The process of preparatory meetings, also conducted at the United Nations in Geneva, started in November 2008. Other meetings were/will be convened prior to the main conference at the UN in Geneva as follows: a) 19 to 23 January 2009 For more information on the Durban Review Conference please visit the following webpage: http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/.
Durban Review Process – NGO attestations for participation at the Durban Review Conference, 20 – 24 April 2009, Geneva NGOs that are accredited to the Review Process may need formal letters of attestation for their visa applications to the Swiss authorities. Depending on whether or not the NGOs are in consultative status with ECOSOC, the process for acquiring letters of attestation is different:
Attestation for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC Representatives of NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council who have registered for a meeting in the context of the Review Process and who need attestations for the purpose of visas, can request one, at least 10 days in advance of submitting their request for visa to Swiss authorities in their country, by contacting the NGO Liaison Office of the United Nations Office at Geneva:
NGO Liaison Office Office of the Director-General Room 153 Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 Tel: + 41 (0)22 917 1304 Fax: +41 (0)22 917 05 83 Email: ungeneva.ngoliaison@unog.ch
In order to avoid delays in issuing letter(s) of attestations, NGOs must provide the name of the person(s) who will be applying for the visa in their request for attestation.
Attestation for accredited NGOs not in consultative status with ECOSOC Representatives of accredited NGOs who are not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and who need attestations for the purpose of visas can request one by contacting NGODurbanRevConf@ohchr.org. They must provide the name of the person who will be applying for the visa as well as the name and address of the organization that the person will be representing at the Durban Review Conference. Participants are requested to note “Attestation” in the subject line of any email communication requesting a letter for attestation.
It is strongly advised to contact the competent Swiss Representation in your country well in advance to inquire about documentation requirements and the time needed to process visa requests. For general information, refer to the website of the Federal Office of Migration.
Any questions regarding the registration process should be directed to ngodurbanrevconf@ohchr.org.
Durban Review Process - NGO access to conference proceedings NGOs will have access to the fifth floor entrance of the main meeting room for the Durban Review Conference. Only one delegate per NGO will be allowed in the main meeting room at a time. Further announcements with regards to access to this meeting room will be issued in due course.
In addition, a live video feed of the conference deliberations will be shown in Room XVII of the Palais des Nations.
Durban Review Process - Resources available to NGOs during the Durban Review Conference Throughout the Durban Review Conference, NGOs will have access to the NGO Resources and Services Centre (formerly known as the NGO Lounge) in the Palais des Nations. The centre will be further developed for the conference, providing NGOs with computers having Internet access, photocopiers and free wireless Internet for those with their own laptop computers.
The NGO Resources and Services Centre is located on level A0 next to the UN Cafeteria.
Durban Review Process – OHCHR Guidance for Organizers of Side Events during the Durban Review Conference, 20 – 24 April 2009, Geneva In order to facilitate broad participation of governments, United Nations entities, inter-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions, civil society and other organisations accredited with the Durban Review Conference, the OHCHR has announced that meeting rooms will be made available for side events during the conference to be held daily from 09:00 hours to 18:00 hours from 20 to 24 April 2009.
Side events should focus on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. They should provide an opportunity to review progress made in the combat against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the actual implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action at the national, regional and international levels since 2001, as well as the sharing of best practices.
Organizers of side events are invited to submit their request to the Conference Secretariat through the appropriate inscription (registration) form with all the relevant information no later than 14 April 2009. The “inscription form” for side events can be found on the Durban Review Conference Web Site.
The Conference Secretariat will review all requests for side events to ensure the broadest participation of stakeholders and a diverse range of themes and issues relating to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Should requests be confirmed, the Conference Secretariat shall be in contact with the organizers concerning the next steps to take including possible time slots, rooms and services available.
"Voices", 20 - 24 April 2009, Geneva The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will host "Voices" events daily during the Durban Review Conference, featuring testimonies of diverse speakers on the themes of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The meetings will be moderated by UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues Gay McDougall.
"Voices" events will take place from 12:15 hours to 14:45 hours each day of the conference (except for Monday, 20 April, when the event will commence at 13:45 hours) in the Exhibition Hall of Room XX at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. For more information about the events, contact reviewconferenceevent@ohchr.org.
Other Events and Announcements:
Geneva for Human Rights – Global Training (GHR) is organizing a course on the occasion of the Durban Review Conference and its 3rd Preparatory Committee. >From 15 to 24 April 2009, there will be daily morning sessions to brief participants on the major issues at stake during the conference and to exchange information and views on its proceedings. The daily briefings are open to all non-governmental participants to the Durban Review Conference and will be held at the Centre International de Conférences Genève.
For more information, contact GHR via e-mail at info@gdh-ghr.org or acz.hr@bluewin.ch or via telephone at +41 22 320 27 27 or +41 79 345 82 00.
Civil Society Forum for the Durban Review Conference, 17-19 April 2009, Geneva The Civil Society Forum for the Durban Review Conference will be held from 17 to 19 April 2009, in Geneva, as a peoples input and preparation for the Durban Review Conference. The forum has been organized at the request of NGOs and Civil Society organizations from all parts of the world and with their active participation in the development of the programme.
Most of the activities for the forum will take place in meeting halls around the Place Plainpalais area in Geneva. The planned programme of the Civil Society Forum is as follows:
17 April, Friday 19:00 Opening Plenary
18 April, Saturday 9:30 – 11:30 Plenary 12:00 – 14:30 Group Meetings 15:00 Demonstration in Support of the Review Conference Organised by Geneva NGOs
19 April, Sunday 9:30 – 13:00 Group Meetings 14:00 – 16:30 Concluding Plenary
More details on the programme, plenary speakers and topics of group meetings will be sent to registered participants. A registration fee of 10 Swiss francs will be charged from each participant and paid at the registration and welcome desk. It is important for all who wish to participate to pre-register for the forum as soon as possible. Send your name, organization (if any), address, e-mail, and telephone by e-mail to registration@genevaforum2009.org or by fax to +41 (0) 22 5457943.
For more information, consult the Geneva Forum website which will be regularly updated.
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, 19 April 2009, Geneva One day before the Durban II conference opens, on 19 April 2009, human rights activists will meet in the Geneva International Conference Centre for the Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy. Organized by a global coalition of human rights organizations—and dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention Against Genocide—the Geneva Summit will hear prominent human rights, activists, legal scholars and statesmen.
Register on the Geneva Summit website. Priority will be given to applicants with demonstrable interest or background in human rights, as well as to students.
The CoNGO E-Update is a weekly email information service of the Conference of NGOs, informing members and affiliated networks of relevant upcoming events sponsored by the UN, CoNGO, CoNGO members and its affiliated committees and task forces, and other major civil society-related initiatives. Subscription to the E-Update list is generally restricted to the UN offices and headquarters of members of the Conference of NGOs. For more information or to advise on an event, please send a message to congo@ngocongo.org, at least three weeks prior to the event. To unsubscribe please send an email to congo@ngocongo.org.
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