In order to enhance accessibility to UNCC for participants with disabilities or special needs, assistive devices are available upon request from a designated area at the accessibility centre on the first floor of UNCC.

For more information, please email escap-conference-management@un.org or visit http://www.unescap.org/uncc/accessibility-support-for-persons-with-disabilities.

A list of suggested accommodation located relatively close to the conference venue can be found here.

Participants should make their own arrangements upon arrival in Bangkok for transportation to their hotels. Limousine, metered-taxi and bus services are readily available at the main airports. Detailed information on these services can be found at http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com and http://www.donmueangairport.com.

For participants wishing to use the airport limousine services, it is strongly recommended to use only the authorized services via the respective counters located in the airport arrival zones.

At Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the limousine service counters are located on the second floor at baggage claim and at arrival hall exits A, B and C. Taxi stands can be found on the first floor of the passenger terminal between exit doors 4 and 7. Passengers can purchase a taxi ticket from automatic dispensing machines and queue immediately outside those doors for public taxis. Please note that, in addition to toll fees, taxi drivers will add a 50 Thai baht surcharge to the meter for the journey from the airport to the city.

Please refer to the airport websites noted above for additional details.

Participants are advised o be respectful of Thai customs at all times. Please note that Thailand has specific laws against making negative comments about the Thai monarchy.  Such laws are strictly enforced and are applicable to spoken and written comments, gestures and electronic communication, including via social media.

Weather:

Bangkok is usually warm and humid. Daytime temperatures in September to October range between a maximum of 35 °C and a minimum of 26 °C. Light, summer clothing is recommended. The conference rooms where meetings will be held are air conditioned with the temperature maintained at 23 or 24 °C (73-75 °F).

Geography:

Thailand, covering an area of 513,115 km2, lies at the heart of south-East Asia, roughly equidistant between India and China. It shares borders with Myanmar to the west and north, the Lao People's Democratic Republic to the north and north-east, Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to the south.

Getting around Bangkok:

Tourist information is available at www.tourismthailand.org.

Official language:

The official language is Thai. English and Chinese are widely spoken.

Currency:

The currency is the Thai baht. The exchange rate as of August 2018 was approximately 33 Thai baht to 1 United States dollar. Currency can be exchanged at local banks, hotels and currency exchange houses at the airport or in the city.

For more information for visitors to Thailand, visit http://www.mfa.go.th/thailandconnect_english/.

Customs:

The link for prohibits and restrictions of Thai customs can be found here.

Bank services are available from Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m., at the Siam Commercial Bank located on the first floor of the Service Building. Participants can get to the Service Building through link bridge (adjacent to Meeting Room B) on level 1 of the UNCC, or walk through the garden on the ground floor of the UNCC to the Service Building and use the staircase or lift to level 1.

Services include foreign currency exchange and disbursement of daily subsistence allowance. Two cash machines (ATMs) are available at UNCC during its opening hours, one in front of the bank and the other on the ground floor near the registration counter.

The following catering services are available inside the conference venue:

• Cafeteria, serving Thai and international lunches, located on the first floor,

         open 11.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m

• Canteen, serving Thai cuisine, located on the ground floor of the service building,

         open 7.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m

• Thai food outlets, serving traditional Thai food, located on the ground floor, garden area,

         open 10:00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m

• 2x coffee corners, serving sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea and soft drinks, located on the first floor,

         open 7.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m

• Rajapruek lounge, serving light meals, beverages and alcoholic drinks, located on the ground floor,

         open 7.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m, with a happy hour on Friday, from 5.00 p.m.to 8.00 p.m

All UNFCCC conferences should be professional, respectful and harassment-free environments for all participants. Harassment in any form, including sexual harassment, will not be tolerated. All participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and appropriate manner.

The code of conduct is available here and contains detailed information on prohibited conduct, the complaint and investigation processes and possible consequences.

If an incident of prohibited conduct occurs on United Nations premises, the aggrieved person or any witness to the prohibited conduct should promptly report it by calling:

A computer centre will be located in the delegate area on the first floor of the UNCC, offering two fully functional computers and printers on a first-come, first-served basis. These printers can also print directly from USB sticks.

Delegates are encouraged to bring their personal computers, which can be connected to the “PlugNPlay” Wi-Fi service available throughout the conference centre. Personal computers can be charged at computer centre tables equipped with power sockets.

For optimal Wi-Fi service, delegates are urged to do the following:

• Only select the “PlugNPlay” Wi-Fi network unless advised otherwise;

• Disable personal hotspots/tethering on mobile phones as it interferes with “PlugNPlay” Wi-Fi.

Computer centre opening hours : Tuesday, 4 September, to Sunday, 9 September 2018, 8.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m.

Upon first-time arrival to the UNCC, accredited representatives of Parties, observers and the media should proceed through the United Nations building main gate to the registration counter located at the main entrance to have their photograph taken and to complete the registration procedure before receiving a conference badge.

Badges are issued to representatives of Parties or observer organizations on the basis of a letter of nomination/confirmation from their Party or observer organization.

Press badges are issued to accredited press representatives upon presentation of a valid press card and identification document (e.g. passport). Press badges allow access to all public meetings and sessions unless otherwise indicated.

Multiple registration is not permitted (e.g. a participant may not be registered simultaneously as a nominee of a Party and of an observer organization, or simultaneously as a nominee of a Party and a press/media representative).

The registration desk will be open from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Saturday, 1 September to Monday, 3 September 2018, for early collection of badges. It is highly recommended that participants take advantage of this opportunity to avoid delays on the first day of the conference.

Please contact conference officers at the registration counter regarding registration changes or queries.

Registration counter opening hours:

Saturday, 1 September, to Sunday, 9 September 2018, 8.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.

Registration contact person for Parties, observer States and observer organizations:

Ms. Eva Kulage @ ekulage@unfccc.int

Registration contact person for press:

Ms. Carrie Assheuer @ press@unfccc.int

In the interest of sustainability, participants are encouraged to recycle the UNFCCC lanyard provided with their conference badge by keeping and reusing it at the next UNFCCC meeting.

Please note that access to the conference area is restricted to registered participants only. In order to comply with secretariat security requirements, participants are requested to wear their badges visibly at all times and in all areas.

Please report the loss of a badge to the registration counter immediately.

As there will be no side events or exhibits at the conference and dedicated delegation offices and meeting rooms for delegations will not be available, no consignments are expected. Please do not send any consignments/shipments to UNCC.

Please refer directly to the Thai Foreign Office website at: http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/information/1695

Official and draft documents for the conference will be made available on the UNFCCC website at https://unfccc.int/. Participants are encouraged to support the secretariat’s paper-light policy and access digital versions of documents whenever possible so as to reduce paper usage.

The issuance of new official documents or draft texts will be announced on the In-session documents Twitter account (the handle is @UNFCCCDocuments).

The Negotiator app (https://unfccc.int/news/download-unfccc-negotiator-app) links to this Twitter feed and has an official document feed as well.

Printed copies of official documents can be obtained at the documents counter, located on the second floor of UNCC next to the ESCAP Hall.

Documents counter opening hours:

Friday, 31 August, to Sunday, 9 September 2018, 8.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m.

The Daily Programme (the official guide to each day’s meetings) will be made available on the UNFCCC website at https://unfccc.int/DP-SB48-2

Delegates of Parties eligible for funding are kindly requested to visit the daily subsistence allowance (DSA) counter located at the Siam Commercial Bank at UNCC for collection of DSA.

Delegates attending the pre-sessional meetings of the regional groups are invited to come to the DSA counter from Friday, 31 August 2018.

Passport, electronic ticket confirmation and boarding pass(es) must be presented. After receiving clearance from the DSA counter, delegates can proceed to the bank to collect their DSA.

DSA counter opening hours:

Friday, 31 August, to Friday, 7 September 2018, 8.30 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.

Please note that there is no service on Sunday, 2 September.

Contact persons in relation to DSA and travel:

Ms. Gloria Rutahakana @ GRutahakana@unfccc.int

Mr. Erick Prillwitz @ EPrillwitz@unfccc.int

First aid and emergency medical services are available from 3 September to 10 September, opening hours from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

A nurse will be stationed in the First Aid Room (close to Post Office) on the Ground Floor of the UNCC, as well as an ambulance will be available on site.

For other emergencies, please approach United Nations Security staff (wearing either a United Nations uniform or an armband), contact the information desk on the ground floor of the main building, or call:

In case of emergency outside the conference venue, please call the following Thai emergency numbers:

Owing to space limitations there will be no side events or exhibits at the conference and actions/demonstrations will not be permitted within the conference venue. The secretariat will, however, facilitate observer briefings and plenary interventions as per usual practice.

For information on the negotiation sessions, please visit https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/bangkok-climate-change-conference-september-2018.

Please also refer to the notification to admitted intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations at https://unfccc.int/documents/141354.

In case of lost or found items, please contact the information desk on the first floor of UNCC. For security reasons, unattended items found anywhere on the conference premises will be removed by the United Nations Security staff. The lost and found help desk is located opposite the registration counter on the ground floor of UNCC, open 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Meeting rooms are available every day from 8.00 a.m., with all meetings required to finish by 8.00 p.m.

Meeting room assignment (MRA) forms can be downloaded here and may be sent by email to meetingrequest@unfccc.int from 1 August to 3 September 2018 inclusive. Thereafter, MRA forms will no longer be accepted by email and should instead be submitted in paper format at the information desk/MRA counter, located on the first floor of UNCC.

The availability and location of your meeting room will be confirmed in the evening of the day before your meeting at the information desk/MRA counter.

For venue maps and information on the location of meeting rooms, see http://www.unescap.org/uncc.

MRA team: Mr. Paul Jimenez and Mr. Bernardo Buechner

MRA counter opening hours:

Tuesday, 4 September, to Sunday, 9 September 2018, 8.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.

MRA guidelines

• Rooms are assigned for a maximum of one hour only per Party/organization free of charge
• Meeting room reservations are made on a provisional basis and their final confirmation depends on the demands of the negotiating process, which have priority over individual demands
• It is advisable to reconfirm your reservation with staff at the information desk/MRA counter at least two hours before the start of your meeting, given the possibility of last-minute changes
• If all meeting rooms are in use and your room is needed for a meeting of a Convention or Kyoto Protocol body, the secretariat may request that you vacate the room in which you are holding your meeting
• Food and beverages are not permitted in the meeting rooms

Further information on conference rules and regulations is available via the following links:

• Guidelines on the use of cameras and audio/video recording devices;
• United Nations Security guidelines related to media actions, distribution of publicity materials, etc.;
• Guidelines for the participation of non-governmental organization representatives.

Webcasts

For the duration of the conference, webcasts of all official meetings and press conferences will be available live on the UN Climate Change website (http://unfccc.int) with audio streams in the floor language and English. The webcasts will also be available on demand shortly after the close of each meeting.

Accessing multimedia content

Multimedia coverage, including broadcasts and webcasts will be posted on the official conference website at http://unfccc.int.

In addition, the Negotiator app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The Negotiator app allows users to:

• Get logistical information about the conference (directories, venue maps, etc.);
• Receive push notifications with the latest news;
• Read the latest documents, agendas, articles and meeting information;
• View the latest videos and photos from the conference;
• Follow the conference via the Facebook and Twitter channels.

The Negotiator app can be downloaded for free via iTunes at http://unfccc.int/iphoneapp or Google Play at play.google.com.

Social media

The secretariat will regularly post conference-related information on its social media accounts:

• Twitter: UN Climate Change will tweet from its accounts @UNFCCC, also in Spanish @CMNUCC and French @CCNUCC. Executive Secretary, Ms. Patricia Espinosa, from @PEspinosaC;
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNclimatechange;
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/climateconference;
• Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unfccc;
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfccc.

Use of audio and video recording devices by participants

The making of audio and video recordings, including any external transmission, by delegations of Parties or observer organizations during open or closed official meetings and in designated security zones is not permitted. The secretariat provides audio recordings of official meetings, as required by Parties, and webcasts of open plenary meetings.

Since space is limited, UNCC is not in a position to offer meeting rooms or office spaces on a commercial basis.

If an incident of prohibited conduct occurs outside United Nations premises, it should be reported to the local security authorities using the following emergency telephone numbers:

Royal Thai police general emergency: 191; or tourist police: 1155

Please note that only the tourist police have dedicated English-speaking responders.

Disclaimer: The United Nations and the UNFCCC secretariat disclaim all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of or damage to personal property and for any other costs or losses that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation. It is thus strongly recommended that participants obtain international medical insurance and other appropriate insurance for their period of travel and participation.

Information on sustainability aspects related to SB 48-2 is available here.

For information, visit https://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-change-improves-website.