Part I of the twenty-third special session of the Trade and Development Board will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 8 May 2006, in Room XXVI at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. This will be the first formal meeting in a series of three comprising the Mid-term Review relating to UNCTAD XI.

Provisional agenda and organization of work

The provisional agenda for the twenty-third special session and its annotations are circulated in document TD/B(S-XXIII)/1. A detailed programme for part I of the session will be circulated at a later date.

Credentials

Members of the Board are requested to submit to the UNCTAD secretariat by 5 May 2006, the credentials of their representatives and the names of alternate representatives and advisers who will participate in the session.

Other participants (i.e. members of UNCTAD not members of the Board, the specialized agencies, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations in the General and Special Categories wishing to participate as observers) are requested to inform the UNCTAD secretariat by 5 May 2006 of the names of their representatives.

Upon arrival, participants are requested, before entering the Palais des Nations, to collect their badge at the UN Security Service, Villa Les Feuillantines, 13 Avenue de la Paix (close to the main entrance to the Palais at the Place des Nations, on the opposite side of the road). The Security Service is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (non-stop). Because of the security measures in force, participants are strongly advised to arrive before 8.30 a.m. in order to complete procedures and reach the Meeting in good time. Walking from Villa Les Feuillantines to the E-Building (Bâtiment E) of the Palais takes about 10 minutes.

Participants are requested to carry a passport or similar national identity card with them. Taxis are not allowed to enter the grounds of the Palais des Nations, and visitors will therefore be dropped off at the requested entrance gates. Furthermore, luggage may not be brought into the buildings unless the Security Service gives special clearance.

All communications concerning representation should be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat, Intergovernmental Affairs and Outreach Service, Palais des Nations, CH - 1211 Geneva 10; fax: +41(0)22 917 02 14; e-mail : correspondence@unctad.org.

(p.p. signed)

Supachai Panitchpakdi
Secretary-General of UNCTAD
26 April 2006