1) NGO Registration
To pick up your necessary badges, NGOs must enter the building through the 46th street entrance and pass through public security in the white tent on the Plaza. Once inside, you must proceed to the far left (east) corner of the Visitor's Lobby which is known as the Zeus/Sputnik corner, where you'll see a team of DDA staffers armed with a bank of computers to begin your registration process.
This registration process will be open from April 26-30, from 9 AM- 12:30 PM, and then again from 2- 4:30 PM. From May 3-5, it will be open only from 9:30- 11:30 AM, and then again from 2- 4:30 PM. From May 6-7, it is only open from 9 AM- 12 PM.
These times are not negotiable.
The only item you must bring with you is one form of photo identification.
2) NGO Orientation
There will be an orientation for all NGOs coming to the PrepCom on Sunday, April 26, from 1-4 PM at the Genesis House, 113 E.13th Street (b/w 3rd and 4th ave). This will be a great opportunity for newcomers to the NPT to get a sense of what's in store for the two weeks ahead, receive some fabulous background materials, and participate in our first collective strategy session.
It will be a very informal meeting, facilitated by WILPF UNO Director Susi Snyder, and we hope that all experienced NGO representatives will come too, in order to share their expertise and lessons learned. We'll also be giving out some helpful hints for getting around NYC, lobbying tips, an overview of events, and a discussion on the major issues facing us at this year's PrepCom.
To get to the Genesis House, you'll take the 4,5,6, L, N, R or W train to Union Square, then walk one block south (to 13th street) and two blocks east (to 4th ave). Or you can take the M15 bus (which runs north on 1st ave and south on 2nd ave) to 14th street.
If you are planning on coming to the orientation, please call or email Susi as soon as possible to RSVP.
3) NGO Presentations
The NGO presentations will be delivered to the delegates on Tuesday, April 27th, beginning at 3 PM. Text of these statements will be handed out to all delegates as well as archived on the RCW site as soon as they are delivered.
19 organizations collaborated on these thirteen presentations, which will be discussing a range of important issues, including vertical and horizontal proliferation, grassroots initiatives, proliferation in the Middle East, the 13 Steps, and more. We will be employing perspectives from the medical community, from North America, Western and Eastern Europe, Northeast Asia and the Middle East. We will also be hearing presentations from Mayors for Peace, a network of over 500 mayors dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
If you are going to be in New York for the PrepCom, we urge you to come to this important session and add to the growing number of NGO representatives who will be showing the world's governments that we are watching them and we expect results!
4) Events
The NPT Calendar of Events has been recently re-formatted for easier use and printing. Please be sure to check it now, as it has gone through many revisions over the past couple of days. If your organization is hosting an event, make sure that the listing is correct. If there are any changes to the calendar, please let me know as soon as possible.
Special Events to Look Out For: there will be a Town Meeting called "Nuclear Weapons and Perpetual War: What you need to know and what you can do about it!" organized by Abolition 2000 on Friday, April 30, from 4:30-9 at All Souls Church on 80th St. and Lexington avenue.
On Saturday, May 1, there will also be a rally and concert at Bryant Park, at 42nd St. and 5th avenue. For more information, contact Jackie Cabasso.
5) Resource Center
Throughout the two weeks of the PrepCom, the WILPF UN Office will be converted into an NGO Resource Center for all NGOs participating at the PrepCom. At our office, located on the 6th floor of the UN Church Center (44th st. and 1st avenue), NGOs will be able to:
- find a plethora of background materials;
- find key people to answer any questions you might have;
- drop off materials;
- quickly check your email using two computers;
- hook up your own laptop to the internet;
- make local telephone calls;
- receive and send faxes;
- make copies (with paper that must be either brought in yourself or bought from us);
- find an updated calendar of the day's events; and more.
Governments and UN staffers may also regard our office as a meeting spot for NGOs: if you need to find one of us, or if you are looking for additional NGO resources, you can find it all here.
However, those who have visited us in New York before know that our office is a remarkably tiny space. Please use our resources sparingly and with consideration for our other staffers and the other NGOs who may also need to use our resources.
If you have any questions regarding the use of the WILPF office as your home base during the PrepCom, never hesitate to ask.
6) Shadow Report: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security
The 2004 edition of the NGO Shadow Report: Accountability is Democracy, Transparency is Security is now up on the web. With the invaluable help of many of our colleagues around the world, we have fully updated all information on all Nuclear Weapon States and the 44 Annex II States including:
- amount, location, and operational plan of nuclear weapons
- activities specifically undertaken in accordance with Article VI of the NPT
- location and capability of nuclear facilities
- fissile material holdings
- research programs
- international nonproliferation programs
- positions taken in international fora on various issues of nuclear disarmament
This edition of the Shadow Report also includes a fully updated chapter on the Nuclear Weapon States’ Compliance with the 13 Step Plan.
Each delegation at the PrepCom will be receiving one complementary copy of this report, one of the most comprehensive databases on military and civilian nuclear holdings available.
Hard copies of the Shadow Report are also available for US$20. Send a check payable to Jane Addams Peace Association, with RCW/Shadow Report in the memo line, to:
WILPF
777 UN Plaza
6th floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
For more information on the NGO Shadow Report, contact the Project Associate.
7) WILPF Side Events
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is much more than just Reaching Critical Will. This year, there will be over 70 WILPFers from around the world coming to represent the world's oldest women's peace organization. With so many representatives, we have a lot going on. Some of the activities that WILPF is working on include:
Monday, April 26, 1:15 PM
Co-organizing a panel with Hidankyo, the atomic bomb survivors group in Conference Room A. Under-Secretary-General Nobuyasu Abe will be one of the featured speakers.
Tuesday, April 27, 2:30 PM
Co-organizing the Abolition 2000 Press Conference in the United Nations Correspondents Association club.
Wednesday, April 28, 10 AM
WILPF-US is organizing a panel on the Military-Corporate Connection.
6:30 PM
You are invited to our 89th Anniversary reception, held on the 2nd floor of the UNCC.
Friday, April 30
Rhianna, the RCW Project Associate, will be speaking at the Town Hall meeting on April 30 (details above).
Saturday, May 1
Susi, the WILPF UNO Director, will be speaking at the May 1 rally for nuclear disarmament in Bryant Park.
Tuesday, May 4
Organizing a panel on Women, WMD, and Conflict Prevention, with USG Abe speaking on that panel as well.
Every Day:
- Publishing the daily News in Review, the only NGO analysis produced each day during the conference.
- Posting all statements, working papers, non-papers, and reports on our website in near real time. For all of you who will not be able to be in New York, be sure to check the RCW NPT page every day to see what your government does or does not say.
For more information on any of these events, contact Susi or Rhianna today.
We'll see you at the PrepCom...
Rhianna Tyson
Project Associate
