Information Note for Participants

General

1.   The fifty-eighth session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is scheduled to be held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, from 16 to 22 May 2002.  The session is structured in two segments: a senior officials segment from 16 to 18 May 2002, consisting of meetings of the Committees of the Whole I, II and III and the Working Group on Draft Resolutions, and a ministerial segment from 20 to 22 May 2002.

Meeting Schedule

2.   The inaugural session of the senior officials segment will be held on Thursday, 16 May 2002 in the ESCAP Hall, level 2, UNCC.  Meetings of the Committees of the Whole I, II and III will be held in Conference Rooms 1 and 2, level 2 and Conference Room 3, level 1, UNCC, respectively.  Meetings of the Working Group on Draft Resolutions will be convened when one of the three Committees is not in session.  The opening of the ministerial segment will take place on Monday, 20 May 2002 in the ESCAP Hall, where all the subsequent sessions will be held.  In addition, informal consultations on the least developed and landlocked developing countries and economies in transition are scheduled to be held on Friday, 17 May 2002 in Conference Room 4, level 1, UNCC from 0900 –1000 hrs and 1000 –1100 hrs respectively, and the Ministerial Round Table, in the morning of Tuesday, 21 May 2002 in Conference Room 1, level 2, UNCC.  An exhibition on the work of ESCAP and its regional projects will be staged in  the delegates’ lounge, level 2, UNCC.

3.   Subject to approval by the Commission and except for the inaugural sessions, the daily meeting hours are as follows:

Monday through Saturday:

0900 to 1200 hours

1400 to 1700 hours

Credentials

4.   Members of delegations are kindly requested to bring with them their official credentials, duly   signed  by    the   appropriate   authorities   of    their   respective  Governments/agencies/organizations, and hand them to the ESCAP Conference Officer at the time of registration.

Registration for Participants

5.  Generally, participants are required to register and obtain meeting badges in advance of the opening of the session.  Registration will be open from 0900 to 1600 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, 14 and 15 May 2002, at the Registration Counter, ground floor, UNCC, and from 0730 to 0845 hours on Thursday, 16 May 2002.  Participants arriving late are requested to contact the Conference Services and Mail Operations Unit located on the ground floor, behind the Registration Counter, UNCC.  To facilitate the process of registration, a member of the delegation can register on behalf of all the members in that delegation.  Only the names of participants duly registered will be included in the list of participants.

6.  For identification and strict security reasons, participants are requested to wear their meeting badges at all times during the meetings and at social functions.

Immigration Requirements

7.  Nationals of the following 58 countries may enter and stay in Thailand for a maximum period of 30 days without a visa.  However, if the duration of their stay is expected to exceed 30 days, an appropriate entry visa must be obtained in advance from Thai diplomatic or consular missions:

8.   In addition to the above 58 countries, nationals holding valid diplomatic or official passports of the following eight countries may enter and stay in Thailand for the period specified in each visa waiver agreement between Thailand and the country concerned.  The periods specified in the agreements range from 30 days to 90 days.

9.   Nationals of the following 96 countries may be granted a visa for a stay of 15 days upon arrival by the Thai immigration authority at Bangkok International Airport, conditional on meeting certain requirements:

The requirements are:

(1)   Nationals must be in possession of a valid passport or an appropriate travel document recognized by the Government of Thailand.

(2)   Nationals must be in possession of an air ticket valid for a return journey within 15 days.

(3)   Nationals must provide two passport-size photographs and a visa fee of approximately 300.00 baht.

10.  Participants from countries other than those listed above are required to obtain appropriate entry visas from the Thai diplomatic or consular mission at the point of origin or en route prior to entering Thailand.

11.  Holders of a United Nations laissez-passer are exempted from visa requirements for visits not exceeding 15 days.

12.  In all cases, participants are reminded that the visa granted on arrival is not extendable.

Weather

13.  The average temperature in Bangkok during May varies from 30°C to 38°C.  Light tropical clothing will be sufficient. The conference rooms in UNCC are air-conditioned at approximately 24°C.

Health and Vaccination

14.  The United Nations buildings are smoke-free areas.  Participants are allowed to smoke only in the designated areas.  Yellow fever vaccination is required for participants from endemic countries.  Participants are recommended to have had vaccinations against hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid.

Foreign Exchange

15.  Participants may bring with them into Thailand unrestricted sums of foreign currency in the form of United States dollars or pound sterling traveller’s cheques, drafts, letters of credit or other banking instruments which may be exchanged for Thai currency at the prevailing bank rates.

16.  Participants may be required to declare the amount of traveller’s cheques or foreign currency in their possession on arrival at the Bangkok International Airport.

Airline Reservations

17.  A number of international airlines operate regular services to and from Bangkok.  Participants are advised to secure their return bookings prior to their departure for Bangkok.  If this is not possible, they should make firm return bookings immediately upon arrival in Bangkok.  Travel services will be available at the secretariat.

Hotel Accommodation

18.  The following hotels have been designated as official hotels for which the room rates indicated below are inclusive of service charge and value added tax (VAT).

Note:       Room rates are inclusive of daily American breakfast.  Except for the Shangri-La Hotel, all the listed hotels provide complimentary transport services, according to fixed schedules, from the hotels to UNCC in the morning and back to the hotels in the evening.

19.  It is important that requests for hotel accommodation for each person be made in duplicate on the enclosed “Attendance Information” form (click here to download the form in Word format) and sent to Mr. Chingchai Likitnukul, Chief, Conference Services and Mail Operations Unit, Division of Administrative Services, ESCAP, as soon as possible but not later than 30 April  2002.

20.  Any subsequent changes in arrival plans, such as cancellation, postponement or any other changes, must be communicated to ESCAP at least 48 hours in advance.  Rooms not occupied in accordance with the latest advice will be held 24 hours at the participant’s expense and then released.  All rooms will be assigned according to the information furnished on the enclosed forms and on a first-come, first-served basis.

21.  In the event that accommodation at any of the hotels listed above is not available, every effort will be made to arrange for suitable alternative accommodation.

Reception on Arrival

22.  Provided that a request for assistance is received by ESCAP at least two weeks in advance of arrival, participants who are required but are unable to obtain the requisite entry visas from Thai diplomatic or consular missions prior to their departure will be met and assisted with immigration formalities on arrival at  Bangkok International Airport.

23.  In order for the secretariat to liaise with the Government of Thailand for proper protocol arrangements for representatives at the ministerial level, it is strongly recommended that ministerial representatives stay at one of the official hotels listed above.  ESCAP would appreciate receiving information on the flight details of ministers at least two weeks in advance of the session.

24.  The expected dates and times of arrival in Bangkok and flight numbers of the ministerial participants should be communicated to:  Mr. Chingchai Likitnukul, Chief, Conference Services and Mail Operations Unit, Division of Administrative Services, ESCAP, United Nations Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, fax Nos. (662)288-3022 and (662)288-1000, e-mail: likitnukul.unescap@un.org, as soon as possible.  Any subsequent changes should be communicated to ESCAP as soon as possible.

25.  This information should be provided in addition to any official notification sent by Governments/organizations to the Executive Secretary of ESCAP concerning the composition of delegations.

26.  Participants are also advised to affix ESCAP luggage labels to their baggage and to wear identification badges in order to avoid any inconvenience or possible delay at the airport on arrival.  Labels and identification badges are enclosed with this note.

27.  Bangkok International Airport is approximately 25 kilometres from the city centre.  There are plenty of limousines and taxis, but participants should only use designated taxi stands, limousine counters or hotel shuttle buses.

Transport

28.  It will not be possible for the secretariat to provide transport for participants during the Commission session.  Participants should therefore make their own arrangements for attending meetings and social functions.  Hotels recommended in paragraph 18, with the exception of the Shangri-La Hotel, provide complimentary transport, according to fixed schedules, between the hotels and UNCC.

Communications

29.  Mail intended for participants should be addressed as follows:

c/o ESCAP secretariat
United Nations Building
Rajdamnern Nok Avenue
Bangkok 10200
Thailand

Facsimile numbers: (662)288-3022, (662)288-1000
Telephone number:(662)288-1234
E-mail address: likitnukul.unescap@un.org

Meeting Documents

30.  Participants are requested to bring with them copies of the meeting documents the ESCAP secretariat has distributed to their Governments/organizations prior to the Commission session.  Only a very limited number of copies of such documents will be available at ESCAP.

31.  Documents that participants wish to circulate should be handed to Mr. S. Thampi, Principal Officer and Secretary of the Commission.  A minimum of 200 copies are required to ensure proper distribution of a copy to each delegation.  In accordance with United Nations regulations for the control and limitation of documentation, the secretariat cannot undertake to process and/or reproduce documents or statements submitted by individual delegations unless the Commission specifically takes a decision to that effect and approves the financial implications thereof.  Participants are advised to consult the Principal Officer and Secretary of the Commission on any matter pertaining to the issuance or distribution of documents at the Commission session.

Social Events

32.  Delegations desiring to host receptions, luncheons or dinners are requested to notify the Principal Officer and Secretary of the Commission, ESCAP, well in advance, to facilitate the secretariat’s orderly coordination and notification to participants of all social events.