Venue of the meeting
Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome
Italy
Tel:(+39) 06 57051
Fax:(+39) 06 570 53152
Internet: http://www.fao.org/contact-us/en/
Schedule of the meeting
The meeting will be opened at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, 19 September 2022. The schedule of the meeting is available in document (UNEP/FAO/RC/CRC.18/INF/2 ).
In addition, informal pre-meetings of intersessional task groups will be held on Sunday, 18 September 2022. The schedule of pre-meetings is available here.
Meeting documents
The provisional agenda, other pre-session documents, including the scenario note and the tentative schedule of work, are made available on the meeting documents webpage.
Language of the meeting
As per decision RC-1/6 on the establishment of the Chemical Review Committee and in line with usual arrangements, the meeting will take place in English only.
Registration
Registration for the meeting will start at 08.00 on Sunday, 18 September 2022.
To participate as an observer, please visit the Information for Admission of Observers page:
Please contact Ms. Stéphanie Cadet (stephanie.cadet@un.org) to receive the registration form for observers and submit it to her before 8 August 2022.
Security identification
Security identification badges are issued to participants upon arrival at the meetings and upon completion of the relevant registration procedure (and admissions procedure for observers, if applicable).
Meeting participants may collect their security identification badges at the registration desks upon presentation of one of the following identification documents issued by a government recognized by the United Nations:
-
Valid national passport;
- Valid picture identification card, in Latin alphabets;
- Valid picture "residency" card, in Latin alphabets; or
- Valid picture drivers license, in Latin alphabets.
To facilitate the badging procedure, participants are also advised to have available a copy of the confirmation letter transmitted by the Secretariat.
Information about FAO facilities and transportation
Information on FAO facilities and transportation in Rome is available in the information note for participants.
COVID-19 rules for entry into Italy and safety measures
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in Italy as well as globally, we would like to highlight the following information for travelling to Italy.
Travel restrictions put in place to address the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic are subject to change. We recommend to the participants designated to attend the meetings to consult the following websites to verify which requirements apply to their entry to Italy:
It is the responsibility of each participant to familiarize themselves with travel restrictions in the country of origin, including for transit and re-entry.
Precautionary and hygiene measures will be put in place at the meeting venue, in accordance with the requirements of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Italy. Further information will be provided to registered participants.
Online participation in the meeting
On 20 July 2022, the Bureau of the Chemical Review Committee met to consider modalities for online participation in CRC-18, following the request from one member to attend the meeting online.
The Bureau decided that online participation in CRC-18 would follow the same criteria as those applied for the 2022 face-to-face segment of the meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. This would mean that online participation would be allowed, upon request to the Secretariat, in the following cases:
-
For members:
- Registered members who face COVID-19 restrictions that prevent them from attending the meeting in person;
- Registered members who test positive for COVID-19 upon departure, arrival or during the meeting and are thus prevented from entering the meeting venue.
-
For observers:
- Registered observer participants who face COVID-19 restrictions that prevent any representative of that delegation to attend the meeting in person;
- A registered observer representative who tests positive for COVID-19 upon departure, arrival or during the meeting, is thus prevented from entering the venue and is the only representative from that delegation present in the meeting.
-
In addition, the Bureau agreed that other registered meeting participants may receive, upon request to the Secretariat, an online viewer access to the meeting allowing them to follow the meeting without the right to intervene. Viewers would also not be included in the list of participants to the meeting.
The meeting will be a face-to-face meeting, with online participation only in those exceptional circumstances agreed by the Bureau, and would be operating on working hours in Rome, Italy (UTC+2), including plenary and evening contact and drafting group sessions.
Side events
Requests for side events should be sent to the Secretariat before 12 August 2022 by e-mail to:
Ms.Kei Ohno Woodall
E-mail: kei.ohno-woodall@un.org
As the number of slots available for side events is limited, they will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Preparatory briefings
A number of online briefings are being organized prior to the meeting whose schedule will be available on the meeting website. These briefings will provide an overview of the issues that will be considered at the meeting and will also take place on the Webex platform. The briefings are open to all meeting participants, as well as Parties to the Rotterdam Convention, observers and stakeholders in general.
Paperless meeting
A paperless meeting has the benefit of reducing costs considerably and has a smaller carbon footprint than a traditional meeting has. The paperless system makes it easier for participants to access meeting documents and it facilitates faster distribution of conference room papers.
All documents will be available on internet or, upon request by e-mail only. Printed documents will not be available at the meeting.
Participants are requested to follow the requirements described below:
-
To gain access to meeting documents each participant must have a laptop computer running basic applications (Word, Excel, PDF Reader, updated antivirus software).
- Laptops must be virus-free and pre-checked for viruses before they are brought to the meeting. Virus-free laptops are crucial to a successful paperless meeting.
- Laptops must be configured for standard WiFi connections.
- Participants should carry virus-free memory sticks for the purpose of transferring data, if necessary.
- It is important that each participant provide a valid e-mail address when confirming participation in the meeting. Participants should ensure that their e-mail service will allow them to receive e-mails containing meeting documents as attachments.
Visas
It is the responsibility of each participant to obtain the required entry visa for Italy.
Insurance
It is strongly recommended that delegates take out international medical, accident and travel insurance. The United Nations does not cover life or medical insurance for participants. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all participants to ensure that they obtain adequate insurance prior to their travel to Rome.