MOST IMPORTANT: WTO has taken 10 rooms at the Madison Hotel in which it will schedule seminars held by NGO's, upon request. Since many groups want to hold seminars, it is important to get requests in promptly. Requests should be made to his assistant, Bernard Kuiten, by E-mail: bernard.kuiten@wto.org or by telephone to Geneva: 739-52-54.

TACD has 2 booked rooms: on 30 Nov. 9-12 am and 1 Dec. 2-5 p.m.

1. He pointed out WTO policy that ALL NGO's are on the same footing and there is no preference to business or commercial trade associations. He recommends reading Article 5.2 of the WTO Agreement and the WTO's NGO Relationships Guidelines (at WTO website, www.WTO.org) if you have any questions about the legal basis for this.
2. Between now and Seattle, WTO will facilitate the distribution of NGO position documents to Member missions and to the press and will post them on the NGO pages of the website as promptly as possible. Such documents should be sent to Alain Frank or Bernard Kuiten by mail or fax ONLY with a request for distribution. There will be no distribution of documents sent electronically because of the difficulty of confirming the authenticity of the source. Faxes should be sent to 739-57-77.
3. WTO has been considering a separate NGPO website to replace the current NGO pages on their main site, but this entails a lot of work and will have to wait until after Seattle.
4. Notification to organizations that have applied for credentials will be mailed on October 4 and 5. The Secretariat's job is to develop a recommended list, but it is the Member delegations that will have to approve the final list. The Secretariat has been very liberal in developing its list and the number of credentials to individuals that will be recommended approaches 750. He cited some past examples of Member objections to proposed credentials (e.g., Indonesia wanting to deny that a labor union engaged in trade-related activity when its primary agenda included trade effects on labor) but said that they are always favorably resolved if the organization's activities are in fact related to trade issues. The number he cited does not include approximately 350 IGO's (intergovernmental organization representative) applications, which would bring the total number of credentialled observers to over 1,000. He pointed out that this creates huge logistical problems. Once the WOT Members approve a final list, the list of credentialled NGO representatives will be placed on the WTO website [presumably with contact information].
5. The badges that are issued will be needed to enter the Convention Center and any other facility that is secured for credentialled participants and/or observers only. These badges are important security devices. The reason for requiring Passport numbers on the credentials applications is that credentials will only be issued after the applicant's country has done a security check based on the passport number. The presence at the meeting of many Ambassadorial level officials and of the President of the United States creates a need for very high security. No one will be admitted to secured areas without their badges and credentials cannot be transferred to colleagues because of the security check requirements.
6. There will be two locations for observing the open Ministerial proceedings. A number of observers can be seated at the meeting itself in the Convention Center, but not all of the 1000-plus who will be credentialled. Thus, the Madison Hotel Ballroom will be equipped for seating of the remainder of the credentialled observers to be seated and to watch proceedings on the large screen from 10 a.m. to the end of each session (excluding any decisions by the Ministers to close portions of sessions, which is not anticipated by theoretically possible under the rules).
7. With respect to the opening day schedule, it is expected that the opening ceremonies and scheduled speeches will take place in the a.m. and the opening statements of each Minister who is not on the a.m. program will commence around 3 p.m.
8. The Madison Ballroom also will be the site of daily NGO briefings from 8-9:30 a.m. and daily NGO debriefings on the day's activities at 6:30 p.m. In addition, the Madison Hotel will have facilities NGO's may use for computer hook-ups, faxes and telephones.
9. Credentialled observers can enter the Convention Center and by showing their badge to security officials at the entrances to the floor and presenting a business card, they can request delegates to come from the floor to meet with them in locations just of the floor that WTO will provide. [Of course, the delegates may or may not be responsive, depending on what is happening on the floor and on their judgment as to whether they should be responsive to your request for consultation. It will be a good idea to let your national delegation know in advance that you will be in attendance.]
10. WTO also will accept from credentialled observers documents or messages to be placed in the individual Member delegation message pigeonholes in a secure area just off the floor.
11. Credentialled observers wishing to make the time and place of press conferences known to the press may have the WTO announce this information to the press.
12. The badge issued to credentialled observers will also get badge holders into social events that are limited o those with credentials.
13. There are a number of events being put on by the private host organization for credentialled observers only, regarding which please see the host organization website.
14. There will be a November 29 Secretariat-sponsored symposium between Member mission representatives and credentialled observers. This is meant to be "forward-looking" and not a debate on what has gone wrong in the past. Therefore, the Secretariat has designated a two-part agenda for the symposium. Topic "A" is a 20-year view of development with a focus on Asia. Topic "B" is the import of trade for technology development. The symposium will have fewer speakers and more time for questions and comments from the floor than have past WTO symposia.
15. In response to a question, Frank said that there have been no Member proposals to remove from the table any part of the "built-in agenda," hence it is certain that there will be a "next round" at least with respect to the "built-in" agenda. With respect to other issues that the Ministers would have to put on the table in the new Round, he points out that the agenda proposed by the Chair assumes that there will be a new Round while a "framework" proposal put forth by Indonesia assumes that there will not be [beyond the built-in agenda]. However, he pointed out the it is typical of proposals such as Indonesia's that this is a negotiating ploy by which the maker of the proposal hopes to assure the inclusion of its own issues on the agenda.
16. With regard to what is included in the new Round, Frank observed that WTO works by consensus and this typically produces an agenda of "win-win" issues.
17. Alain Frank urged NGOs who have specific questions or concerns to contact him or Bernard Kuiten by phone or fax in Geneva.