Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention, 9th session and Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on SEA, 5th session

Arriving to Geneva  
 
Delegates travelling by air will arrive at Geneva International Airport (Cointrin), and those travelling by train at Geneva main station (Cornavin).  

If arriving in Geneva by air, you may obtain a free public transport ticket in the baggage reclaim area, just before the exit. The ticket is valid on any bus or train in Geneva for 80 minutes for all passengers carrying a valid plane ticket. Many hotels provide a free public transport pass valid for the duration of your stay. A route planner for public transport is available at http://www.tpg.ch. (Taxis are also available directly outside the airport and station). 

Hotel reservations and other arrangements should be made well in advance. The secretariat is unable to recommend hotels. To identify hotels with available rooms, you might try this website: https://www.geneve.com/ 

How to get to the UN Building (Palais des Nations) 

The Palais des Nations (14 Avenue de la Paix) can be accessed from the Geneva central train station, Gare Cornavin, by:

-Tram no. 15, direction "Nations", stop “Nations” (last stop) (7 minutes). Then walk towards the Peace Gate, in front of the Place de Nations square  (2 minutes). 

-Bus no. 20, direction “Bellevue GE, Valavran”, stop “Nations” (6 minutes). Peace Gate is located in front of the Place des Nations square (2 minutes). 

-Bus no. 8, direction "OMS", stop “Nations” (9 minutes). Peace Gate is located in front of the Place des Nations square (2 minutes). 

-Bus F, direction “Ferney, mairie” (7 minutes), stop “Nations”. Peace Gate is located in front of the Place des Nations square (2 minutes). 

Access to the Palais des Nations 

Access to the Palais des Nation and the meeting rooms will be restricted to persons wearing identification badges. 

You should have received a digital badge via email, featuring your photo, a QR code, and the meeting's name and date of the event when your registration was approved. We kindly request that you download this digital badge to your mobile phone or other mobile devices. When you arrive at the security gate, please inform our security colleagues that you already have the digital badge. This will expedite your access to the Palais des Nations.

If you are unable to find your digital badge, kindly log in to INDICO at  https://indico.un.org/event/1002271/  and click on "Get UN Event Pass" to obtain your digital badge.

Please note that the Pregny Pavilion has been closed due to exterior improvement works from Monday, 9 October 2023 by the end of February 2024 (https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/practical-information/pregny-gate-closure) .  Entry to the Palais des Nations for meeting participants is through the Peace Gate (opposite the statue of the Broken Chair; a map and more detailed information is available at http://www.unece.org/meetings/practical.html).

!!! Allow sufficient time to obtain your badge. We strongly recommend arriving at the Palais des Nations (UN Security Offices at the Peace Gate entrance), at least one and half hour prior to the opening of the meeting on 12 December 2023.

Suitcases cannot be brought into the Palais des Nations; there may be limited storage space available at the Peace Gate, but this cannot be guaranteed. 

Smoking is only permitted in authorised smoking shelters, as per UNOG’s campus-wide smoking policy. Smoking shelters are clearly marked and signposted for that purpose. Locations of smoking shelters may be found on the campus map, here: https://iseek.un.org/article/reminder-about-unogs-smoking-policy 

Meeting room 

 The meeting will take place in the Tempus Building 1, 2 and 3, which is located opposite the Alley of Flags (“Allée des Drapeaux”). To access Tempus, go through the Peace gate, and then walk alongside the Alley of Flags (“Allée des Drapeaux”), turning left at the end of the road and flags. You may enter the building through the main entrance of the Tempus Building.

Electrical power plugs and sockets are unique to Switzerland within the UNECE region (type J, three-pin, 230 V, 50 Hz, as shown), though slim two-pin plugs (type C) will fit.  
 
Spare charging devices are not supplied by the UNECE team. Kindly remember to bring your personal chargers for your respective devices (laptops, phones etc.) to the meeting. 

Timing of UN Meetings

UN meetings run from 10:00-13:00 hours and from 15:00-18:00 hours.

Language 

The meeting will be held in the three official languages of UNECE (English, French and Russian), with simultaneous interpretation. 

Meals, coffees and a reception 

To get to the cafeteria from the Tempus building, follow the arrows on the map to Building A (open from 8:15-16:45, meals served from 11:30).  

Alternatively, you may access the cafeteria by the exterior (5-10 minutes by foot), following the directions on the map. 

The “Bar Serpent” coffee lounge, close to Room XXVI (in building E, level 1), is open from 8:30 to16:00 and also serves snacks.  

Vending machines with snacks and coffee are available within the Tempus building, which accept coins and card payment. The Selecta machine accepts CHF and EUR. 

The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment invites delegates to a reception on Wednesday, 13 December, starting from 6.15 p.m. at the Bar Serpent, UN Building E, Door 40.

Internet access 
Wifi access will be provided in the meeting room. During the breaks, delegates may use computers in the Library that provides also Internet access.  

European Union coordination  

The European Union coordination meetings - open only to European Union member States - are held in room VII, during the following time-slots: 
-    12-13 Dec: 8:30-10:00/13:00-15:00/18:00-20:00
-    14 Dec: 8:30-10:00/13:00-15:00
-    15 Dec: 8:30-10:00