Media arrangements for journalists covering the 6th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
The 6th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB6) on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will take place from 17 – 28 February 2003 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. These are expected to be the final negotiations, in which delegates will approve the text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco control, to be presented for adoption at the World Health Assembly in May 2003.
Arrangements for the press: For accreditation, journalists are invited to contact Mrs Lorna Wieteska in room E112 of the main World Health Organization (WHO) building, by telephone: (+41) 22 791 2599, or email: wieteskaa@who.int. She will be available to provide accreditation and badges Monday to Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For security reasons, badges will be required for entry into the Palais by all journalists who do not already have a badge, and they must be picked up in advance at WHO. A frequent shuttle will run throughout the negotiations between WHO and the Palais.
WHO has arranged for a Press Room in room E3007 of the Palais. Room E3007 is located two flights above Palais entry door 14, and it can also be accessed from door 15 where the shuttle from WHO stops at the Palais. The Press Room will contain six computers with Microsoft Word software, access to the Internet and outgoing electronic mail facilities. For journalists wishing to use their own portable PCs, there are 6 analog lines for external connection. Two international phone lines, a fax machine and a photocopier will also be available.
Only the plenary sessions of INB6, seminars and technical sessions are open to journalists. The plenary sessions will take place on 17 and 24 – 28 February in the Assembly Hall (Salle des Assemblées), which can be reached by stairway or lift from Door 13 or 15. Seminars and technical sessions will take place in Room 21 during the first week and Room 18 during the second. Daily media briefings will be held on the informal sessions, which are closed to the press.
The Palais des Nations provides television studio and transmission facilities, subject to availability, for unilateral tape feeds in Beta SP and SX formats and for live interviews. If you need TV coverage and transmission facilities, please call +41 22 917 4606.
Also subject to availability are recording and mixing services and the transmission of live or taped interviews or other audio material for radio broadcasting stations and accredited journalists. Call +41 22 917 1248 or +41 22 917 1249 for more information.
Journalists wishing to arrange interviews with Dr Derek Yach, Executive Director of Non-communicable Diseases & Mental Health, WHO, Dr Vera Costa e Silva, Project Manager for the Tobacco Free Initiative, WHO, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General, WHO, convention delegates or other WHO representatives are advised to contact Julie Archer at +41 22 791 1426, mobile +41 22 475 5520 or email archerj@who.int.
Media Events
1. Unveiling of the death clock, which registers tobacco-related deaths throughout the negotiations. When: Monday, 17 February at 9:00 a.m. Where: Palais des Nations in the E Building on the first floor, in front of the elevators. Who: WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland
2. Opening press conference on the final negotiations of the FCTC When: Monday, 17 February from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Salle III Who: WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland and INB6 Chair Ambassador Luis Felipe de Seixas Corrêa
3. Daily briefing for media on the informal sessions When: Tuesday to Friday, 18 - 21 February and Monday to Thursday, 24 – 27 February at 12:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Salle I Who: Dr Derek Yach (Executive Director, Non-communicable Diseases & Mental Health, WHO) and Dr Vera Costa e Silva (Project Manager, Tobacco-Free Initiative, WHO)
4. Launch of World No Tobacco Day Campaign(31 May) When: Tuesday, 18 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 21 Who: Stan Glantz (University of California San Francisco, USA); Stella Bialous Aguinaga (U.S.-based consultant); Ambika Srivastava (consultant from India)
5. Closing press conference on the outcomes of INB6 When: Friday, 28 February at 12:30 p.m. (tentatively booking this time) Where: Palais des Nations, Salle III Who: WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland and INB6 Chair Ambassador Luis Felipe de Seixas Corrêa
Seminars and Technical Sessions
1. Healthy Environments for Children When: Wednesday, 19 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 21 Who: Joint US EPA – WHO project speakers Dr Ondine Von Ehrenstein, Dr Ineta Pirktina, Dr Krzysztof Przewozniak, Dr Annette David, and Dr Catherine Allen; Dr. Zasmin Von Schirnding (The Healthy Environments for Children Alliance); Heather Selin (Smoke Free Americas Initiative).
2. Outcomes of the European Roundtable on Tobacco Control and Development Policy When: Monday, 24 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 18 Who: Representatives from WHO, European Commission and World Bank.
3. Launch of the Kobe Report on Economic, Social and Health Issues in Tobacco Control When: Tuesday, 25 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 18 Who: To be confirmed
4. Gender and Tobacco When: Wednesday, 26 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 18 Who: Dr Soon-Young Yoon (Tobacco Free Kids); Dr Martha Morrow (University of Melbourne); Patricia Lambert, (Ministry of Health, South Africa); Tom Glynn (American Cancer Society); Judith Mackay (Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Hong Kong).
5. Smoking Cessation and Health Professionals When: Thursday, 27 February from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Where: Palais des Nations, Room 18 Who: To be confirmed