New York- April 23, 2012
A message from Beppe Lovoi, of UN DESA. The second round of ‘informal-informal’ consultations on the Rio+20 outcome document, to be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, starts today. Below, you will find some basic information pertaining to the consultations online here, including:
- Major Groups registration desk location and hours of operation
- preliminary programme of side events
- link to online registration
An important word about accessing the negotiating text
It has been agreed that all delegates should receive the amended (i.e. compiled negotiating) text via password-protected electronic distribution each time it becomes available. In the case of delegates from Major Groups, only those registered participants who have physically checked in to the meeting will receive the amended text via e-mail. Delegates may check in at the Major Groups registration desk or with the Rio+20 Secretariat Major Groups Coordinator.
About the UN Visitors Entrance
The Visitors Entrance is located at 46th Street and First Avenue, and is open to the general public on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It is open to holders of a UN grounds pass on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
On weekends, the Visitors Entrance is open to all from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Some important meetings for Major Groups take place outside of these hours, and so there are special arrangements to open the Visitors Entrance to registered participants early on Monday 23 April and on Monday 30 April. Occasionally UN Safety and Security encounters unforeseen circumstances that may not permit them to open the Visitors Entrance on time. We assure you, this is a normal aspect to working life within the UN at duty stations all over the world. We are extremely privileged to have such a fine Department of Safety and Security, and very fortunate to have such unrestricted access to UN Headquarters. Thank you for considering this as your delegations arrive each day.
Capacity Building Workshop for Major Groups
At the start of each round of ‘informal-informal’ consultations, the Rio+20 Secretariat invites all participants from Major Groups to a half-day workshop designed to bring you “up to speed” on what is happening in the Rio+20 process.
The next workshop is scheduled to take place in Room A of the Temporary North Lawn Building at UN Headquarters on Monday 23 April from 9:15 AM to 1:30 PM.
The next two weeks will be packed with meetings, workshops and events for Major Groups. To help you plan, please view the attached preliminary schedule of opportunities, which will be updated periodically.
