This page provides information on participation and engagement opportunities for observer organizations and other non-Party stakeholders in the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018 (COP 24).
The COP 24 edition of the Observer Guide has been prepared primarily to assist those observers attending a UNFCCC COP for the first time. It is however also useful for seasoned observers as the guide contains key in-formation for the Katowice Climate Change Conference, December 2018.
Who can register
In accordance with Article 7, paragraph 6 of the Convention, Parties to the Convention, United Nations and related organizations and agencies, media and non-profit observer organizations with observer status may attend the sessions of the Convention. Consequently, everyone wishing to enter the conference must be registered accordingly and in possession of a conference badge.
How to register
United Nations and related organizations and agencies
Please see the section "Attending sessions" here.
IGOs and NGOs with observer status
Registration is managed through the Online Registration System. The registration timelines for delegates of admitted IGOs and admitted NGOs for COP 24 are:
- Nomination: 9 August 2018 until 24 September 2018, midnight CET
- Confirmation: 4 October 2018 until 26 November, midnight CET.
All delegates of admitted observer organizations have to be registered within these deadlines. Please see the information note (please note the registration timelines had been updated) for further information .
Important guidelines
- Guidelines for participation
- Use of cameras and audio/video recording devices
- UN security guidelines
- Code of Conduct to address harassment at UNFCCC conferences, meetings and events
Important information
Information notes and notifications are published here.
Registration on-site (for duly registered observers)
Registration will be open for observers starting Friday, 30 November 2018. On Sunday, 2 December 2018 all observer organizations can come to the venue and pick up their badges as requested and will be able to enter the venue subsequently. Please note however that the side events and exhibits area will not be operational during this day and access restrictions to the events in the plenary will be applied based on space constraints.
On Monday, 3 December 2018, the registration for NGOs and IGOs will open at 14:00.
Please also see the registration section of the information for participants web page.
Disclaimer
The UNFCCC secretariat has become aware that certain admitted observer organizations are using commercial business model packages to solicit business. As an inducement to sell these packages, potential clients are assured participation at UNFCCC conferences, sessions and meetings through quotas of admitted observer organizations. The UNFCCC secretariat would like to make clear that it does not endorse such practices nor does it charge any fees to anyone for participating in the UNFCCC process. Eligible participants are accredited only by the UNFCCC secretariat who upon issue of badges by the UNFCCC secretariat can enter conference, sessions and meetings venues and participate, subject to the relevant rules and regulations, in the activities organized by the UNFCCC secretariat including the UNFCCC side events and exhibits.
The Secretariat is pleased to announce the launch of the Daily Badge System for observer organizations as a pilot for COP 24. The Daily Badge System will allow for a more robust participation at UNFCCC sessions, while maintaining the process of nominations and confirmations.
Objective
The objective of the Daily Badge System is to allow for enhanced and flexible participation for observers attending the COP.
- This flexibility is being implemented without affecting the existing nominations and confirmations process
- This will be an add-on complementary process to enable a more enhanced utilization of the quota for badges
- The pilot system will not increase the quota allocated, however it will allow for a rotation of the confirmed delegates for specific dates
Process
Please note that the Daily Badges system will work on top of the existing process as an add-on. An organization may simple choose not to request daily badges and proceed as in the past. There are some pre-requisites before a Designated Contact Point of an organization can request a daily badge, these are listed below:
- The delegates should have been nominated by the nomination deadline
- A quota has been allocated to your organization as applicable and
- The delegates have been confirmed by the Designated Contact Point in the ORS (as in the past)
Once the above steps have been completed, the Designated Contact Point may request a daily badge for any nominated delegate who has not been confirmed. The steps to request a daily badge are detailed in the Daily Badge System user manual. Please also see the FAQ section below. We request you to kindly read this information prior to submitting a daily badge request.
Note that once a daily badge request is submitted, it cannot be changed or altered due to operational and technical reasons during the pilot phase for COP 24.
Note to DCPs: It is the responsibility of the DCP to inform the Donor of the changes, i.e. that his/her attendance days have been partly assigned to a Recipient via the Daily Badge System. Although ORS sends automatically an email to all involved (Donor, Recipient and DCP), this might not be seen or end in Spam folder. Kindly note, that the Donor cannot claim that he did not know.
Deadlines
Note that the application window for daily badge requests for COP 24 is from 6 November 2018 to 22 November 2018, midnight CET (extended deadline).
Unfortunately, no late applications will be entertained in the pilot system.
User Manual and Quick Video Guide
Daily Badge System user manual
Quick video guide:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Daily Badge System?
The Daily Badge System is a pilot project implemented at COP 24. The pilot project is subject to review and changes after COP 24.
The objective of the Daily Badges System is to allow for a more enhanced and flexible participation for observers attending COP 24. It will be an add-on complementary process to enable a more enhanced utilization of the quota for badges for those organizations that would like to bring in certain nominated delegates on specific, but not all, dates of the conference.
How many requests can be made using the Daily Badge System?
Designated Contact Points can make up to three requests for Daily Badges for their organization during this pilot phase. Note that if a Daily Badge is requested for two (or more) consecutive dates in the request submission, it will be treated as a single request as long as both the donor and the recipient are the same person on each day.
Several continuous dates will be considered as one Daily Badges request as long as there is no gap between the days and it is one Donor “donating” to one Recipient.
What is the definition of a Donor of a Daily Badge?
A Donor is a delegate who has been confirmed by the Designated Contact Point of an organization to participate in the COP as per the regular past practices and processes.
What is the definition of a Recipient of a Daily Badge?
A Recipient can be any non-confirmed delegate of your organization’s list. Not yet confirmed due to various limitations, such as quota restrictions, short notice nomination etc.
How do I apply for a Daily Badge?
Requests for Daily Badges can be submitted via the Communication Log of the online registration system.
Please refer to our short video tutorial on how to apply for a Daily Badge.
In addition, please find step-by-step instructions in the Daily Badge System user manual.
Will the Daily Badge System increase the quota of an organization?
No, the Daily Badge System will not increase the quota allocated to an organization. However, it will allow for a rotation of the confirmed delegates for specific dates, based on the dates and persons chosen by the Designated Contact Point of that organization when submitting a Daily Badge request.
Does the Daily Badge System change the existing process of nominations and confirmations?
No, the flexibility of the Daily Badge System is provided without affecting the existing nominations and confirmations process currently in place. An organization may also choose not to use the Daily Badge System.
Can an additional new person be nominated for a Daily Badge?
Yes, a new person can be nominated for a Daily Badge - without increasing the quota – (just as you can create new persons until the confirmation deadline within the allotted quota). The Designated Contact Point of the organization can request a Daily Badge for any delegate that is nominated but not confirmed. A Daily Badge can however not be requested for a delegate that has already been confirmed within the regular quota.
What is the deadline to apply for a Daily Badge?
The window for the application of Daily Badges is scheduled to start from 6 November 2018 to 22 November 2018, midnight CET. Note that the applications for Daily Badges can only start after the Designated Contact Point of the organization has confirmed all the delegates based on the allocated quota.
Can we make changes once a Daily Badge has been requested?
No, due to operational and technical reasons, no changes will be entertained once a Daily Badge has been requested and allocated.
Will the Daily Badge recipients receive a visa support letter?
Yes, the system will send the recipients of Daily Badges notifications and a visa support letter as applicable.
Where do Donors and Recipients collect the Daily Badge from at the COP 24 venue?
There will be a Daily Badge Registration counter at the COP 24 venue. Recipients of Daily Badges and Donors are kindly requested to collect their badges from these counters. To service unforeseen situations, there will also be a Daily Badge Helpdesk.
Where can I find further information on how to collect Daily Badges at the venue and other operational details?
Further information on the operational arrangements at the venue will be published here on this web page in the coming weeks.
Support
The UNFCCC service desk is the first point of contact for any technical issues. In case of registration related errors or queries, please submit a query through the communications log of the ORS system. The contacts are linked on the bottom of each page in your ORS account. If your reported issues are still not resolved, you can contact cool@unfccc.int.
For delegates: Please liaise with your designated contact point for the organization to check if you have been confirmed as a daily badge recipient.
Information for participants, including details on the venue and other logistical information, is available here.
Agendas
Detailed information (including agendas, official documents, decisions, Daily Programme and schedule of meetings) can be accessed through the conference main page.
Access to negotiation meetings
Changes to in-session access to informal meetings are announced on CCTV screens in the conference venue as well as through Twitter: @UNFCCCObservers
Virtual participation
Information on virtual participation, including webcast, is available here.
Newsletters/Daily updates from NGOs
Some admitted NGOs provide daily updates on the negotiations. Please find an overview here.
Bilaterals/meeting rooms
Observer organizations frequently hold bilateral meetings with government officials and other delegates. To provide space for such interactions, the secretariat offers meeting rooms that can be booked free of charge, but under certain conditions. Information on booking meeting rooms is available here. Please note that meetings booked through the Meeting Room Assignment (MRA) team are categorized as closed, and no side events (which are open to the public) can be organized in any of these rooms.
Press conferences
Press conferences conducted at UNFCCC meetings are open to all accredited media. Only registered representatives of governments and admitted observer organizations may hold a press conference. Information on booking a press conference as well as further news and media-related information is available here.
Presiding officers and the UNFCCC Executive Secretary provide updates on the negotiations and opportunities to exchange views in briefings and dialogues with observer organizations. These meetings are facilitated by one of the Constituency Focal Points. During the conference, information on such meetings will be published in the Daily Programme and on the CCTV screens.
Presidency's Open Dialogue between Party and Non-Party Stakeholders
The application period for side events and exhibits through SEORS for COP 24 was open from 14 August 2018 until 24 August 2018. Please see the COP 24 side events and exhibits web page for further information.
NGO statements in the plenary
Intervention opportunities are provided by the presiding officers of the respective negotiating bodies. Such opportunities are communicated by the secretariat to the Constituency Focal Points. NGO constituency members are encouraged to work with the Constituency Focal Points to develop statements. The list of admitted NGOs indicates the constituency of an admitted NGO.
High-level segment statements
Observer statements are foreseen during the resumed high-level segment in the second week of the conference.
- Admitted NGOs: The same procedure as indicated above for plenary statements applies, i.e. the statements are given per Constituency and are coordinated through the Constituency Focal Points.
- Admitted IGOs: Designated Contact Points of registered IGOs have been informed of the registration procedure by email. Please note that speaking slots are for the head of organization only and cannot be delegated.
Convention bodies often request written input, called submissions, on views and information on various issues under negotiation. These mandates are extended to observer organizations. Information on how to make submissions is available here.
Media actions and publicity events are allowed upon prior approval. The schedule of such actions is published below.
Please refer to the following guidelines including relevant policies for actions:
- UN security guidelines
- Guidelines for participation
- Use of cameras and audio/video recording devices
For further information, kindly contact the Observer Organizations Liaison Unit at cool@unfccc.int