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Information on civil society participation at the 13th Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force of the CTBT (Article XIV Conference)

The 13th Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV Conference) will take place at the United Nations in New York on Friday, 22 September 2023. 

Modalities for civil society participation are outlined in this information note (CTBT-Art.XIV/2023/INF.2). Please read the information note in full for all details—below is just a summary.


PARTICIPATION AND ACCESS
Based on rule 43 of the draft rules of procedure of the Thirteenth Conference, which will apply provisionally until a final decision on this matter is taken, any nongovernmental organization that wishes to attend the Conference in-person may apply to the Secretariat of the Conference to attend. 

The Conference will begin at 10:00 am (EST) / 4:00 pm (CET) on 22 September 2023 in Conference Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York and can be viewed live on UN Web TV. No registration is needed in order to view the Conference online.

ACCREDITATION AND REGISTRATION
In-person participation in the Article XIV Conference requires two steps: accreditation, and registration. 

  • All organizations must request accreditation to attend. All requests for accreditation must be submitted to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs no later than 8 September 2023 using the online form available at https://bit.ly/3YfGFOa.
  • In addition, NGOs must submit to Diane Barnes (diane.barnes[at]un.org) a separate, written accreditation request on the official letterhead of the organization, indicating previous interactions between the organization and the United Nations in relation to nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation issues. A mission statement or summary of work of the organization should be provided.
  • Those NGOs that have requested accreditation as stated above will be informed by the Office for Disarmament Affairs by email by 12 September 2023 of the outcome of their request. Individuals requesting accreditation must be at least 18 years of age.

Registration (to be completed after accreditation is approved)

  • Online registration will be available from 13 to 19 September 2023 to representatives of NGOs whose accreditation has been approved.
  • Attendees must complete the registration form on the online Indico system at https://indico.un.org/e/2023AFC and follow the process described therein. Online registrations must include the original accreditation request letter.
  • Once their registrations have been approved, NGO representatives will receive a confirmation email.
  • Grounds passes valid for the duration of the Conference will be distributed within a ten minute window from 9:00 to 9:10 a.m. on the southeast corner of East 46th Street and 2nd Avenue. Due to special security procedures in place during the high-level period of the General Assembly, no alternative arrangements will be made for the distribution of grounds passes.
  • Representatives will need to have their passport or other government-issued identification with them to collect a grounds pass.

 
POSSIBILITY TO DISPLAY CIVIL SOCIETY MATERIAL
Pending a decision by the Conference, NGOs may be allowed to display their documents and other information materials on a designated table. Prior to public display, one copy of each document should be provided to the secretariat through the designated NGO Coordinator Emma Bjertén (emma.bjerten[at]wilpf.org).
 
LETTER OF INVITATIONS AND VISAS       
The United Nations is not in a position to provide letters of invitation or letters to consulates requesting that NGO representatives be provided visas for travelling to New York in order to attend the meetings of the Conference. It is the responsibility of individual NGO representatives to make their own arrangements for visas, travel and related costs.

FURTHER INFORMATION
If you are looking for more information or documents related to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) or the Conference on Facilitating the Entry-Into-Force of the CTBT (Article XIV Conference), please visit the Reaching Critical Will website or the website of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

For matters related to registration and issuance of grounds passes please read the information note. If your questions are not answered by the information provided in the document, please kindly contact Diane Barnes (diane.barnes[at]un.org).