2009 NPT Preparatory Committee Information for non-government organizations
If your organization wishes to participate in the upcoming
PrepCom, be sure to subscribe
to Reaching Critical Will's E-News to receive all updates
and information throughout the upcoming weeks. In addition,
information will be posted regularly to this page.
The role of
NGOs at the PrepCom
In recent years, NGOs have provided invaluable insight and
expertise to the conference, and their influence is growing.
In order to continue and build on this influence, committed
NGOs should attend the PrepCom, to insist states parties make
use of their time and devote their energy to progress. NGOs
are needed to provide credible analysis, views, and perspectives
on the global nuclear regime, support progressive measures
towards disarmament and non-proliferation, and bring media
and public attention to these important issues.
At this meeting, NGOs will be:
urging the governments to renew their commitment to the
NPT in a fair and balanced manner;
offering review and analysis of the nuclear weapon states'
progress on the 13 point action plan for disarmament;
fostering a reassessment of the role and level of participation
of NGOs in international fora;
recommending ways of strengthening other disarmament machinery,
including the Conference on Disarmament, the Disarmament
Commission, and First Committee;
engaging diplomats in discussions on the newest ideas
and issues in disarmament at side-events and lunch time
panels;
holding press conferences and conducting media outreach
to draw attention to the PrepCom and the issues;
and more.
NGO
Accreditation and Registration
*Accreditation closed on 31 March 2009*
The Office for Disarmament Affairs has released the official
Aide Memoire for NGO participation at the NPT PrepCom. Below
is some very important information on accreditation and registration.
The complete Aide Memoire can be accessed at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/prepcom09/aidememoire09.pdf
Important notes overall
1. Your organization MUST work specifically on nuclear weapon
issues in order to be approved for accreditation. Only those
organizations that can demonstrate their active engagement
on related issues will be approved.
2. You do not need to send your registration form to UNODA
in advance. Please only send your accreditation request, as
detailed below, not your registration form. Bring your
registration form, along with your letter of approved accreditation,
with you to New York.
3. UNODA is not in a position to provide letters of
invitation and letters to consulates requesting that NGO representatives
be provided visas for travelling to the United States for
the PrepCom. The procurement of visas, travel arrangements,
and related costs are strictly the responsibility of the NGO
representatives.
Accreditation
NGO representatives with or without valid UN grounds
passes must apply for accreditation to ODA. All
NGOs, even those with ECOSOC or DPI accreditation, must apply.
Please submit, by 31 March 2009, the following materials:
1) a letter on organizational letterhead, signed by the head
of the organization, requesting attendance at the Conference,
which includes the composition of the delegation and an overview
of past interactions between your organization and the United
Nations, particularly in relation to disarmament and non-proliferation.
Such interactions may include affiliation with the Department
of Public Information (DPI), consultative status with the
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), etc. NGOs that will
be participating for the first time should indicate this in
their request for accreditation.
Note: Names submitted for the delegation will not eligible
for later revision. It is advised that organizations submit
the composition of their delegations only after careful review.
Applicants for accreditation to UN conferences and individuals
planning to attend side events must be at least 18 years of
age.
Additional note: Your organization MUST work specifically
on nuclear weapon issues in order to be approved for accreditation.
The UN will consider requests from all organizations but only
those that can demonstrate their active engagement on related
issues will be approved.
2) A mission statement or summary of work that should include
information on the organization's purpose, programmes, and
activities related to the PrepCom. Not to exceed two pages
in length.
Please send all of the above materials to:
Secretariat of the Preparatory Committee
c/o Ms. Silvia Mercogliano
Information and Outreach Branch
Office for Disarmament Affairs
Room S-3151E
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
USA
Requests for accreditation that are received by fax or
email will be considered provisional until the signed letters
are received by mail. You must send hardcopies to the
above address.
NGO representatives will be notified by email on 8 April
2009 as to whether their documentation was received in order
and whether the name of their organization will be included
in the list for submission to states parties.
Registration and issuance of identification badges
NGO registration will be open in the visitor's lobby of the
United Nations from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM and from 3:00-5:00
PM on Monday, 4 May and Tuesday, 5 May.
You must bring your filled out registration form, the provisional
accreditation request that has been authorized by the Secretariat
of the PrepCom (UNODA) and a valid photo identification -
passport is strongly encouraged, driver's license
is acceptable. Please come early to register and please
fill out your registration form in advance. The process
this year will be more tedious than in years past and will
take longer than in Vienna or Geneva. If you want to attend
the first plenary meeting at 10:00 AM, please make sure you're
in line by 8:00 AM.
Note: You do not need to send your registration form
to UNODA in advance. Please only send your accreditation letter,
not your registration form. Bring your registration form with
you to New York.
If you cannot come on the above dates and times for registration,
please contact Ms. Silvia Mercogliana at mercogliano[at]un.org,
+1 917.367.4123 or Ms. Jenny Fuchs at fuchs[at]un.org,
+1 212.963.2386.
Please note: UNODA is not in a position to
provide letters of invitation and letters to consulates requesting
that NGO representatives be provided visas for travelling
to the United States for the PrepCom. The procurement of
visas, travel arrangements, and related costs are strictly
the responsibility of the NGO representatives.
Additional information for NGOs
The PrepCom will take place in Conference Room 1.
NGOs may display their documents and other materials
on a table located outside Conference Room 1, though one
copy of each document/material must be provided to the Secretariat
through the NGO Coordinator, Ms. Ray Acheson.
Limited space is available for exhibits. Please contact
Ms. Silvia Mercogliana at mercogliano@un.org for exhibit
requests.
NGO
Side Events
NGOs will reserve one conference room for their use throughout
the Preparatory Committee. If your organization wishes to
organize an event, we encourage you to book your time slot
as soon as possible - many organizations have already booked
the room. Check the Calendar
of Events on the Reaching Critical Will website to make
sure the time you want is available, then send an email to
the Project
Director with the title of your event, the time and date,
and contact information. All events will be posted on the
Calendar
of Events as well as in the daily News in Review.
NGOs will have a conference room with a capacity of approximately
50 seats for side events.
Any requests for audio/visual equipment, etc. must be
made to Ms. Ray Acheson by 29 March 2009.
If NGOs require refreshments for side events, catering
services are available through Aramark. Please contact Ms.
Gamez Mimi, Catering Sales Manager, UN, +1 212.963.2799,
gamez-mimi[at]aramark.com.
NGO Statements
Reaching Critical Will continues to serve as facilitator for
NGO statements to the PrepCom. NGOs are allotted a three-hour
session to present their ideas and recommendations to states
parties, which is tenatively scheduled for Tuesday, 5 May
from 3:00-6:00 PM. These presentations are drafted through
an online process and will be distributed to all governments
and archived on the RCW website.
If you are an NGO wishing to participate in this drafting
and editing process - and we urge you to do so, whether or
not you plan to go to New York - we invite you to join the
NPT Presentations yahoo group by sending an email to npt_presentations-subscribe@yahoogroups.com,
or by visiting .
Once you have subscribed, you will receive further instructions
on participating.
NPT
News in Review
The News in Review is a daily publication produced
during NPT Preparatory Committee and Review Conferences. It
features analysis of the day's events, feature articles from
NGOs around the world, interviews with diplomats and NGO representatives,
nuclear facts, announcements, cartoons, a calendar of events,
and more. You can access archived NIRs online.
We also encourage you to submit to this year's News in
Review. The guidelines are as follows:
Feature articles: In addition to the daily analysis
of the proceedings of the PrepCom, the News in Review
also contains feature articles that cover a range of nuclear
disarmament issues. We welcome submissions from NGO experts
around the world, regardless of whether or not you will be
in Geneva. Articles should be between 500-1000 words. The
deadline for feature submissions is 18 April. Please submit
in .doc format and the body of the email. Articles will be
attributed to the author and may be edited for length.
Advertising space: You can use the News in Review
to publicize an important announcement, event, or project
hosted by your organization. NIRs are hand-distributed
to all of the delegates at the PrepCom, sent by email to more
than 2000 subscribers, and are archived on our website.
1/4 page ad: $40
1/2 page ad: $60
full page ad: $130
back page ad: $185
(Run your ad twice and get $5 off. Run your add three times
and get $10 off. Run your ad four times and get $15 off.)
Cartoons, photos, artwork, poetry: The News in Review
wouldn't be complete without its fill of poignant, satirical,
and beautiful artwork. We are accepting all forms of anti-nuclear
artwork, to be sent in either a .jpg, .gif, or .pdf file.
Photos, paintings, doodles, cartoons, collage, mixed media,
and drawings are all welcome.
Submit your ad, article, or artwork by sending to the Project
Director:
your organization's name;
contact person;
email address;
phone number;
type of submission (for ads, please specify the size of
the ad, dates for it to run, and payment method); and
the submission
The deadline for all art, article, and advertising
submissions to the News in Review is 19 April 2009. The earlier,
the better.
Where
to submit your materials
All NGO materials should be sent to the WILPF office in New
York:
Reaching Critical Will
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
777 UN Plaza, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Accommodations
in New York City
Reaching Critical Will has researched information for many
budget hotels and hostels in NYC. The links provided are intended
to assist you in making your own arrangements. We are providing
information from our own research, but do not endorse any
of the accommodations in any way. See http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/prepcom09/accommodations.html
What
to do if you can't go to New York City
There are plenty of opportunities for active involvement with
the PrepCom even if you can't make it to New York:
Make an appointment with your Foreign Ministry or equivalent.
Urge your Foreign Minister to attend the conference, reminding
them that they represent YOU. Call your representatives
in New York and Geneva, to let them know that you are paying
attention, and that you are demanding nuclear disarmament.
Use our Governmental Contact Database for their information:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/govcontacts/govindex.html
Call your local media. Publicize your views and your
government's policies, and let them know what's happening
in New York.
Once the PrepCom is in session, you can read what your
government did or did not say by checking RCW's NPT page
every day. We post all statements, working papers, non-papers,
reports, NGO statements, and official documents on our website
in near real-time: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/2009index.html
