[afro-nets] Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly; Guidelines and information for Media

["Claudio Schuftan" <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly; Guidelines and information for Media
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From: "Vern Weitzel"

Geneva - The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place
from 22-27 May 2006 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. The
WHA is the annual meeting of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 192
Member States. Issues to be discussed include:  strengthening
pandemic-influenza preparedness and response, including application of
the International Health Regulations 2005; infant and young child
nutrition; HIV/AIDS; polio eradication; sickle-cell anaemia; smallpox
eradication and the destruction of variola virus stocks; prevention of
avoidable blindness and visual impairment; international trade and
health; the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; intellectual
property rights, and the WHO Eleventh General Programme of Work,
2006-2015.**

The Assembly will consider several draft resolutions recommended by the
Executive Board on these and other issues.

Keynote speaker

On Tuesday 23 May the keynote speaker will be His Royal Highness, The
Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales is President of The Prince's
Foundation for Integrated Health and Patron of a number of health
charities. His Royal Highness has been made an Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Medicine in recognition of his work in this field.

The agenda, the daily Journal and other WHA documents can be found at:
http://www.who.int/gb/ and will be available in Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Media Accreditation procedures

Correspondents wishing to cover the WHA must be accredited by the 
office of the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) at 
the Palais des Nations in Geneva. To do this, journalists should send a 
fax requesting accreditation to + 41 22 917 0073, along with a letter 
signed by their editor indicating the reason for accreditation and the 
dates for which accreditation is required, a photocopy of media 
credentials and passport.

Once these documents have been approved by DPI, journalists can collect
their accreditation at the* Villa les Feuillantines, 13 avenue de la
Paix.* (The villa is located at the end of a narrow road leading off 
The main road from Place des Nations to the Red Cross on the left hand side - 150 metres from the Place des Nations). Journalists can call 
+41 22 917 2313, or +41 22 917 2336 or email mailto:cfegli@unog.ch for 
more information.

** Please note that UN accreditation offices* will be closed on  25
May*. Journalists wishing to get accredited on* 25 May* should proceed
to WHO headquarters.  Please be reminded that the same UN accreditation
procedures will apply. Contact Cecilia Mazuy if there are any 
questions, Tel: +41-22 791 2108, mailto:mazuyc@who.int

WHO Media Office

During the WHA, documents for journalists will be available at the WHO
media documents office on the eighth floor of the Palais des Nations,
Room A 843. WHO media and communications staff will be in rooms A631 and A633. A full list of WHO staff serving the media, their offices, 
and phone numbers are attached to this media advisory.

Daily Journal of the World Health Assembly/News Releases/Other documents

Media materials and official documents will be available in the WHO
media documents office and in UN Press Room I. The daily Journal of the
WHA contains the day's agenda. Note that schedules and locations are
subject to change.**

Media Announcements

Announcements will be made in the UN Press Room of the Palais des
Nations via the loudspeaker system regarding the issuing of important
documents and news releases, the scheduling of news conferences and
briefings, and other items of interest to correspondents.

WHO Director-General's Speech

Dr LEE Jong-wook is scheduled to address the Assembly during the second
plenary meeting on the afternoon of Monday, 22 May. * *

Advance texts: materials under embargo

Some texts of speeches, statements and other materials will be issued
under embargo.** Please respect the release date and hour indicated.

Access to meetings

Most WHA meetings are open to the media and can be covered from*
specially designated press areas*. Correspondents should consult the
daily Journal of the World Health Assembly for information on whether
meetings are "open" or "closed". To avoid access problems, journalists
must wear their accreditation badges visibly.

Journalists may enter the floor of the Assembly Hall and committee
rooms* only before or after meetings*, but must leave promptly when the
meeting is about to begin.

**Under no circumstances may journalists stay on the floor of the
Assembly Hall when meetings are taking place**

Photographs

Information on the WHO Photo Service for media can be obtained from Mr
Chris Black, Tel. +41 22 791 1460 or mobile: +41 79 472 6054.

Video for Broadcasters

For information on taping of events in the Assembly Hall (plenary
session), taping of interviews for broadcast TV and the feedpoint to 
EBU Geneva through UNTV Geneva, please contact Jean-Marc Glinz, Palais 
des Nations, Office E21 at UNTV Studio (Studio TV - Under door 40 in 
Level 0), Tel.: +41 22 917 5954 or mobile: +41 79 475 5515, 
mailto:glinzj@who.int

Please note that:

WHO will only provide tapes for broadcasters (in Betacam SP PAL)
To reserve a live link from EBU Geneva to the final destination,
please contact EBU planning at +41 22 717 2900 or send email to
mailto:bookings@eurovision.net.

General information for photo & television correspondents

* WHO requests that photo journalists respect the rules set
out by Security and Protocol Officers at the Assembly. Flash
units may be used, but photographers are encouraged to use
telephoto lenses and avoid grouping around speakers so as
not to disturb their work.
* Filming and videotaping of the WHA is limited to news,
documentary and educational coverage of the meetings.
* Accredited photo and television correspondents may cover all
"open" meetings of the Assembly and move around freely on
the floor of the Assembly Hall and the main committee rooms
before a meeting is called to order, but must leave promptly
when the meeting is about to begin.
* Photographers and camera crews are not allowed on the podium
in any of the meeting rooms, including the Assembly Hall. It
is important to avoid congestion near the podium, especially
during debates.
* Specific media arrangements will be made for the visit of
His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, and details will be
communicated closer to the date of the keynote address.

For further information, please call:

The WHO Media Centre at (+41 22)791 2222 
or
contact Fadéla Chaib, Communications Officer, WHO, Geneva,
Tel.: (+41 22) 791 3228, Mobile: (+41) 79 475 5556, mailto:chaibf@who.int
or Veronica Riemer, WHO,Geneva, Tel.: (+41 22) 791 4367, 
Mobile: (+41) 79 445 2280, mailto:riemerv@who.int

All WHO Press Releases, Fact Sheets and Features as well as other
information on this subject can be obtained on Internet on the WHO home
page: 
http://www.who.int/

--
Claudio Schuftan
mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn