Note to Correspondents

Media Arrangements for DPI/NGO Conference on Unfinished Business: Effective

Partnerships for Human Security, Sustainable Development, 6-8 September

NEW YORK, 30 August -– More than 2,000 representatives of non-governmental and other civil society organizations from more than 70 countries will gather in New York for the fifty-ninth Annual DPI/NGO Conference.

This year, about a fifth of all participants are youth representatives, with the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, as keynote speaker.  The three-day event, entitled Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development, is scheduled to take place at United Nations Headquarters from 6 to 8 September 2006.

Media Accreditation

Media representatives in possession of a valid United Nations grounds pass will be allowed to cover the Conference without additional accreditation.  All others must apply for accreditation with the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, fax: +1 212 963 4642.  For accreditation requirements and forms, please visit http://www.un.org/media/accreditation/.

Grounds Passes

To obtain the required grounds passes to enter the United Nations compound, media representatives will need to go in person to the Media Pass and ID Office, located on the corner of 45^th Street and 1^st Avenue, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Two pieces of photo identification (such as passport, national press credentials, driver's licence or State ID) are also required.  Please call the office at +1 212 963 7164 for further information.

Press Conference/Reception

A press conference/reception aiming to provide a preview of the Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 September at 1 p.m., at the UNCA Club Room, on the third floor of the Secretariat Building.

Masood Haider, President of UNCA, will welcome guests and Juan Carlos Brandt, Chief of the DPI/NGO Section will be the moderator.  Michaela Walsh, Chair of the fifty-ninth DPI/NGO Conference, and Regan Hofmann, Editor-in-Chief of POZ Magazine will also speak.

Interviews

To set up interviews with Conference speakers, please contact DPI/NGO Section, Sasa Gorisek at gorisek@un.org and/or Robin Della Rocca at dellarocca@un.org.

To set up interviews with Midday Workshops speakers, please contact Media Committee Co-Chairs, Joan Levy at joanalevy@aol.com and/or Jeffery Huffines at jhuffine@bic.org.

Website/ Webcast

For Conference programme and updates, please visit http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/annual-conf.html.  A live and archived webcast of the panel discussions will be available on the website.  For further information on the Conference, please email dpingo@un.org.

Press Coverage

The United Nations will provide press coverage in English of the Conference plenary sessions.  Press releases and other media-related information materials, including speeches, will be available at the Conference website.

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For information media • not an official record