NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS ARRANGEMENTS FOR CORRESPONDENTS FOR GENERAL DEBATE
Press Release
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS ARRANGEMENTS FOR CORRESPONDENTS FOR GENERAL DEBATE
19980918 OF FIFTY-THIRD SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLYThe general debate of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly will begin on Monday, 21 September, and continue until Friday, 2 October, in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters. The building will be closed to the public during this period and access will be restricted to those persons who are accredited and wearing a United Nations grounds pass.
The Media Accreditation Centre will be located in the Labouisse Hall of UNICEF House on 44th Street between First and Second Avenues. The Centre will be open from 19 to 22 September. Office hours are: Saturday, 19 September, from 12 noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 20 September, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Monday, 21 September, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Tuesday, 22 September, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. From Wednesday, 23 September, through Friday, 25 September, the location of the Media Accreditation Centre will be announced later.
Those correspondents already possessing a valid United Nations grounds pass will not need additional accreditation for the session. All other media wishing to cover the session will need to obtain a United Nations grounds pass from the Accreditation Centre, upon presentation of a letter of assignment from their editor-in-chief, addressed to the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, along with two pieces of photo identification (such as passport, national press credentials, police press pass, drivers license, etc.). Passes will be issued only to news media organizations. For further information please contact: Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, room S-250, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY 10017; fax: (212) 963-4642, telephone: (212) 963-7164 or (212) 963-6934.
All members of the press corps accompanying heads of State, heads of government or heads of delegation must send an official letter from the permanent mission concerned, addressed to the Chief, Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI) at the above address. The letter must list the names of media representatives with their functional titles and affiliation.
After arrival in New York, all members of the press corps accompanying the head of State, head of government or head of delegation must present
themselves to the Accreditation Centre -- temporarily located at the Labouisse Hall of UNICEF House, where they will have their photographs taken and be issued a United Nations grounds pass upon presentation of national passports and another valid photo ID.
Entry and Screening Procedures, Saturday, 19 September, to Monday, 28 September, Designated Press Entrances and Security Checks:
-- To avoid inconvenience it is recommended that you enter the building prior to 8 a.m. For media representatives with or without equipment: visitors' gate on First Avenue and 46th Street, through the designated check point on 48th Street and First Avenue (East of First Avenue and North of 48th Street); the visitors' gate will open at 6 a.m.
-- For resident correspondents with no equipment: 42nd Street and First Avenue gate, through the designated check point on 42nd Street and First Avenue (West of First Avenue); the gate will open at 7 a.m.
Media Centre
In addition to the facilities normally available to the press on the third floor of the Secretariat Building, the enclosed bullpen area will have six telephones with local and international dialling access, as well as outlets and analog lines to hook up laptops.
The Ex-Press Bar located on the third floor of the General Assembly building will serve as an overflow area for the press corps, particularly the official photographers and cameramen waiting to enter the booth assigned to them. This location will be equipped with a television monitor, carrying the proceedings in the Plenary Hall, telephones and electrical outlets.
United Nations Audiovisual Materials
Photographs, videotapes and audiotapes are available from the United Nations. Each day during the fifty-third session, the offices which provide these services will be open at 9 a.m.
Photographs will be available to delegations for a nominal fee and to accredited correspondents free of charge. Photographs of morning speeches will be available during the afternoon of the same day; afternoon speeches, the following morning. Please direct inquiries and requests to: United Nations Photo Library, room S-805L; telephone: (212) 963-6927 and fax: (212) 963-1658.
Videotapes of speeches are available for a fee only in NTSC, in VHS, U- matic (3/4"), and Betacam SP formats. Tapes ordered in advance will be
- 3 - Note No. 5524 18 September 1998
available for pick-up immediately following the speech. Tapes ordered afterwards will be available by the next day. To request a videotape of a speech, contact: telephone: (212) 963-7652 and fax: (212) 963-3860.
Live television feeds are available through commercial carriers; contact telephone: (212) 963-7650 for information.
Please note that unilateral television production services will not be available from United Nations Television during the fifty-third session.
Audio cassettes of speeches will be available, free of charge, from the United Nations Audio Library, located on the first basement concourse level (1B) in room GA-27; telephone: (212) 963-9272 or (212) 963-4186; fax: (212) 963-3860.
Speeches are normally available in the original ("floor") language in which they were delivered. Special requests for the recording of the interpreter's version in one of the six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) should be made in advance, and are subject to the limitations of the recording facilities.
Accredited correspondents are provided with audio cassettes of news items free of charge. Delegates may request one cassette of each speech free of charge. Additional copies, back orders and other special requests are subject to charge and are handled by the Sound Recording Unit, room GA-13C, telephone: (212) 963-7658.
Other Arrangements
Pool coverage: Owing to logistics and space considerations, nearly all visual media coverage will be done by selected media pools. These pools are reserved exclusively for United Nations Television, United Nations photographers, international wire services and photo agencies. In the case of print media, the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) will notify the DPI of its representative.
The official press corps accompanying a head of State, head of government or head of delegation, including the official photographer, will not be permitted to participate in these pools. The one exception will be the luncheon in which their head of State, head of government or head of delegation participates, where the official photographer will be allowed to join the pool. In all instances, these pools will be accompanied by liaison staff from DPI, telephone: (212) 963-6934 and fax: (212) 963-4642.
Visual coverage in General Assembly Hall: Official photographers and official television crews will have an opportunity to cover the speech of
- 4 - Note No. 5524 18 September 1998
their head of State, head of government or head of delegation on a rotating basis, from the press booths surrounding the General Assembly Hall. Owing to space limitations, they may not remain to cover other speeches. A limited number of still photographers, escorted by DPI liaison staff, will also be allowed to take photographs from the "bridge" at the back of the General Assembly Hall during the speech. These operations will be coordinated from the third floor liaison desk in the General Assembly building, telephone: (212) 963-77566 or (212) 963-3353.
Tickets to the Press Gallery in the General Assembly Hall: There are 53 seats available for media representatives in the Press Gallery of the General Assembly Hall. Tickets will be distributed in room S-250 and at the Liaison Desk on the third floor, half an hour before the meeting, on a first-come first-served basis.
Copies of speeches for the press: Delegations wishing to make the speech of their head of State, head of government or head of delegation available to the press have been requested to provide a minimum of 100 copies to be delivered to the press documents counter, room S-390.
United Nations Press Release Coverage: the DPI provides press release coverage in English and French of open meetings of the special session. They may be obtained from the third floor documents counter. Further queries should be directed to the News Coverage and Accreditation Service, telephone: (212) 963-7211 or (212) 963-2360.
Spokesman's Briefings for Journalists will be held daily at 12 noon in room S-226, followed by the briefing by the Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.
Arrangements for Coverage of Bilateral Meetings: Photo opportunities will be available for bilateral meetings that are open for coverage. Media representatives covering these meetings will be asked to assemble at the third floor liaison desk, from which point they will be escorted by a liaison officer from DPI.
Press Conferences and Interviews: room S-226 has been identified as the venue for press conferences during the fifty-third session. The list of press conferences will be announced daily.
* *** *