Side Events were established as a platform for observer organizations to highlight diverse climate change issues at UNFCCC conferences. Side Events are a vital component of the sessions, as they provide opportunities for information dissemination, capacity building, policy discussions and legitimizing global governance. Parties, UN agencies and admitted observer organizations present their work or foster discussions on key issues, often engaging the audience in a Q&A session.

The successful development of side events over the last decade has led to high popularity among Parties in recent years. Previously, side events have been scheduled solely outside negotiation hours. Due to the high demand, an increased number of requests are accommodated by scheduling side events throughout the day. Side events are 90 minutes in duration.

Access to Premises
All official side events and exhibits will be held at the National Stadium, Warsaw. Please refer to the notification to NGOs and IGOs dated 9 August 2013 (184 kB) , for additional information.

Side events
Official Side Events: The Side Event programme for COP 19/CMP 9 contains around 175 events focused on major issues in the Convention process. For a breakdown of Side Events, please see our web schedule, which allows events to be sorted by category as well as by organizer group.

Please refer also to the Side Events and Exhibits Brochure (" General Information (74 kB) ").

Other and Outside Events

Besides the official side events coordinated by the UNFCCC secretariat, Parties and observer organizations often organize their own events relating to the climate change negotiation process within different Pavilions and outside the conference premises. Some NGOs also hold media actions or publicity activities in order to raise public awareness or to communicate with delegates during the sessions. The information on such events and activities will be announced hereunder on a request basis.

Daily schedule of "Outside Events", "Additional Activities"and "Other Events" (237 kB) ;

EU events

Events by ISO

Japan events (206 kB)

Indonesia events

GCC events (307 kB)

US events (1033 kB)

WHO event pdf (155 kB)

China events (120 kB)

Thematic Days: various events are grouped together to highlight thematic focus.
Thursday, 14 November 2013: Young and Future Generations Day
Friday, 15 November 2013: BINGO Day (#COP19BINGODay)
Tuesday, 19 November 2013: GENDER Day
Thursday, 21 November 2013: Cities Day

Climate Change Studio
In order to channel the dynamic and engaging views and ideas of participants the secretariat continues to organize the "Climate Change Studio" - a platform that provides an opportunity for participants to be interviewed briefly by a professional journalist on actions, solutions, observations and issues that impact on climate change. All interviews are filmed, edited and made available on the UNFCCC website as well as on Climate Change TV, the world's first internet broadcaster dedicated entirely to climate change issues. Interviews will be catalogued in a fully searchable database alongside other interviews with world leaders, expert observers, decision makers and activists in the international climate change debate.

All interviews are announced on the UNFCCC website and CCTV monitors throughout the conference venue. For further information on the Climate Change Studio and the booking of interview slots, please contact the secretariat at climatechangestudio@unfccc.int

Shipment allowance and consignments
The official UNFCCC consignment label enabling organizers to ship exhibition or side event materials to Warsaw has been sent through the Side Events and Exhibits Online Registration System (SEORS), whilst additional information concerning customs and shipment for this conference is available here.
The organizer is responsible for arranging the return shipment of remaining materials.

The shipment allowance introduced in 2012 will be maintained for the Warsaw session. For details on the allowance as well as the distribution of paper documents in general, please refer to the notification issued by the secretariat on 9 August 2013 (184 kB) .

Sustainability Initiatives
As part of the on-going efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the conference, the side event and exhibit schedules are made available on the secretariat website in electronic form only. Additional information on the "Distribution of paper documents in general" is available in the Notification to NGOs and IGOS dated 9 August (184 kB) (on Page 7).

In the same vein, the secretariat encourages organizers to use the upload facility in their personal SEORS account to upload information and electronic publications to the UNFCCC website. Changes can be made by replacing or deleting the existing files up to four weeks after the sessions. Individual files should not exceed 4 MB, but it is possible to upload as many files as needed.

Publications
Publications within the shipment restriction can be distributed at a side event room.
As a courtesy to other participants who will use the side event room in the following time slot, event organizers are advised to kindly remove all publications from the side event room immediately after their event is over.

Catering
Catering on a commercial basis will be available near a number of side event rooms. Food and drink is not permitted in any of the meeting rooms. Information on menu and payment methods can be found here and on the COP 19/CMP 9 official website of the host country.
More information