 |
OPCW | Technical Secretariat | ||
| International Cooperation and Assistance Division | ||||
| S/372/2003 | ||||
| 7 August 2003 | ||||
| Original: ENGLISH | ||||
AN
INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES
THE HAGUE
17 – 19 OCTOBER 2003
1. The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”)
wishes to invite the personnel of National Authorities to participate in
the fifth annual meeting of National Authorities, to be held at OPCW headquarters
in The Hague from
17 to 19 October 2003. The meeting is designed as a working space for personnel
involved in the running of National Authorities who deal on a day-to-day
basis with the national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
(hereinafter “the Convention”). Its basic objective is to help increase national
capacities to comply with the obligations assumed by States Parties under
the Convention. Individuals nominated for participation in the meeting are
therefore expected to be actually responsible for the specific tasks of implementing
the Convention at the national level.
2. The aims of the meeting are as follows:
(a) to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences as regards
the implementation of the Convention and to promote cooperation amongst
National Authorities;
(b) to identify common implementation problems and to facilitate their resolution through cooperative efforts of States Parties and the Secretariat;
(c) to contribute to greater self-sufficiency of national implementation capacities; and
(d) to promote enhanced awareness of activities relating to international cooperation under the Convention.
3. There will be three parts to the meeting:
(a) a one-day workshop on the implementation of the OPCW’s international
cooperation programmes;
(b) an information update and an exchange of experiences among National Authorities; and
(c) consultations between individual National Authorities and Secretariat officials on implementation issues.
4. In recognition of the fact that the simultaneous presence in The Hague of representatives of many National Authorities, in conjunction with the session of the Conference of the States Parties, provides a unique opportunity for such representatives to meet with Secretariat officials in order to discuss issues of specific interest to individual States Parties, the morning of Sunday, 19 October will be reserved for such bilateral consultations. National Authorities are therefore requested to provide the Secretariat with advance notice of the particular national implementation issues they would like to discuss with it, so that responsible officials in the Secretariat can be assigned to such meetings and the necessary preparation work can be carried out. During the meeting, the Secretariat may also invite participants to discuss implementation issues on a bilateral basis.
5. Interpretation services will be provided in the official languages of the Convention at the following times only:
(a) on Friday, 17 October, during the Thematic Workshop on International Cooperation Programmes;
(b) on the morning of Saturday, 18 October, during the discussion of the status of implementation of the Convention; and
(c) on the afternoon of the same day, during the review of the discussions that will have taken place within the regional groups.
No interpretation services will be available either on 19 October, for meetings of regional groups, or for individual consultations.
6. The Secretariat expects to be able to sponsor the participation of a limited number of participants. Each nomination should specify whether sponsorship is a condition of the nominee’s participation. For sponsored participants, the Secretariat will cover the costs of travel, meals, accommodation, and medical insurance, and will provide a limited subsistence allowance to cover sundry expenses. In cases where the Secretariat arranges accommodation for sponsored participants, it will also cover the costs of that accommodation. Sponsored participants who do not intend to use the accommodation provided by the Secretariat are requested to indicate that to the Secretariat as soon as possible, so that it does not incur hotel cancellation fees. The daily subsistence allowance will remain unchanged for those participants who opt to make their own accommodation arrangements.
7. When making travel arrangements for sponsored participants, the Secretariat will seek the most economical options. The Secretariat will purchase tickets and send them to participants. Participants will be allowed to purchase tickets locally only if this leads to further savings for the Secretariat and if the Secretariat authorises it. In order for the Secretariat to keep costs to a minimum, sponsored participants are expected to arrive no earlier than Thursday, 16 October 2003, and to depart no later than Monday, 20 October 2003. Participants wishing to stay in The Hague to participate in the Eighth Session of the Conference of the States Parties must inform the Secretariat of their intended return date so that appropriate arrangements can be made. The Secretariat’s agreement is required for any changes to the arrival and departure dates of sponsored participants. The Secretariat will not cover expenses unrelated to the meeting or that result from changes in travel arrangements it has not authorised. Sponsored participants shall bear all costs resulting from changes they make, including cancellations, once the Secretariat has purchased tickets. Participants who have not been sponsored are requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements, although the Secretariat can, if necessary, arrange accommodation at reduced rates.
8. Participants are requested to obtain any necessary visas (including transit visas) before travelling to the Netherlands. Participants requiring an entry visa for the Netherlands are advised to contact the nearest diplomatic mission of the Netherlands as soon as possible. If additional assistance is required, participants may contact the Protocol Branch of the Secretariat:
Phone: +31 (0)70 416 3300
Fax: +31 (0)70 306 3890.
9. Interested National Authorities are invited to nominate staff to participate in the meeting no later than 8 September 2003 by using the form contained in Annex 2. The completed forms should be returned to the Director, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW, Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands. The forms may also be submitted by fax to +31 (0)70 306 3535, or by e?mail to ipb@opcw.org. It is important that all the details requested on the form be provided, so that the Secretariat can contact nominees directly. Please be advised that participants must present an OPCW acceptance letter in order to register at the meeting.
10. Additional information about the meeting may be obtained from the Implementation Support Branch, International Cooperation and Assistance Division. The contact persons are:
Ms Katerina Minarikova: +31 (0)70 416 3823
Ms Maria Elena Bruno Pousadela: +31 (0)70 416 3825.
Annexes:
Annex 1: Provisional Programme
Annex 2: Nomination Form