Note: This page is for delegates, government officials and other members of government delegations participating in the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference. For general information concerning all participants, please refer to the Information Note Section.
PART I: Guide to participation
PART II: Side event and Exhibition
PART III: Protocol arrangement
PART IV: Detailed guide to participation by agenda item
PART I: Guide to participation
This guide includes information to assist delegates attending the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference with their preparations and to facilitate their participation. The document includes useful information on paperless meetings, order of speakers, and the discussions conducted by each agenda item.
The 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference will take place from 15 to 17 November 2023 in a hybrid modality at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok and online.
Country interventions
To participate in deliberations, delegates are requested to complete the speaker request form to identify which members of the delegations participating in-person or online will have a speaking role during the session. The secretariat will send a link to the Zoom session only to those accounts identified on the form. Please note that the Zoom link is not transferable. Delegations attending in person may request to speak by raising their flag or informing the presiding conference room officers.
Delegations wishing to deliver their country statement under agenda item 2 Review of progress made towards the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific, are kindly requested to inscribe on the speakers list by Friday, 10 November 2023, using the speaker request form.
Statements by ESCAP members and associated members may need to be summarized, as the delivery time will be limited to four minutes. Statements by observers, intergovernmental organizations or United Nations entities should not exceed three minutes; and statements by stakeholders should not exceed three minutes. All statements will be posted online, including longer statements that cannot be delivered from the floor in full.
Delegations are also encouraged to provide statements to the secretariat prior to delivery in electronic format. Statements will be used to facilitate interpretation and drafting of the report of the Conference. Statements will be posted to the Conference website after delivery unless requested otherwise.
For delegates participating online, a guide to using the Zoom videoconferencing platform will be shared in due course. Zoom users will also be invited to a test-run prior to the session to familiarize themselves with Zoom, test the connection and ensure a smooth online participation. All Zoom users are strongly encouraged to join the test-run, especially those who will join the Zoom platform from a meeting room, so they can see if the meeting room’s conference/AV system is adequately linked to Zoom.
Documents and interpretation
Pre-session documents are available in the four official languages of the Conference (Chinese, English, French and Russian) and will be posted on the official documents page of the Conference website (under agenda and official documents) when they are issued. The report will be available on the Conference website in all languages following the Conference.
The session will be conducted in the four official languages of ESCAP – Chinese, English, French and Russian – with live simultaneous interpretation available in the conference room and via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Details on how to choose an interpretation on Zoom will be provided in the Zoom participation guide. Participants following the proceedings via the live webcast on YouTube may also be able to choose among the four official languages of ESCAP.
International sign-language interpretation and live captioning services in the four official languages of ESCAP will also be available simultaneously throughout the session in the secretariat’s continuous efforts to improve accessibility of the Conference.
PART II: Side events and Exhibition
Delegations and stakeholders interested in organizing side events linked with the Conference are requested to review the Call for side event proposals and complete the Side Event Form and return it to the following email address:[email protected] by the date indicated on the Conference website.
PART III: Protocol arrangement
ESCAP provides the following protocol arrangements for delegates at the ministerial level and above from a member state which does not have a diplomatic mission in Thailand:
- Airport transfer
- Transfer between hotel and meeting venue
- Airport VIP Lounge (if available)
- Police escort and police lead car (only for Head of State/Head of Government)
Should there be a requirement for additional police escort, the cost shall be borne by the requesting country. Delegates are responsible for securing hotel reservations and the cost of their accommodation.
In order to facilitate arrangements, delegations are requested to complete the Protocol Arrangement Form and return it via email to addresses indicated in the form, at least two weeks before the start of the session, on Friday 27 October 2023.
Part IV: Detailed guide to participation by agenda item
Agenda item 1: Opening of the session
Supporting documents:
1) Provisional Agenda (ESCAP/APPC(7)/1/Rev.1)
2) Annotated Provisional Agenda ((ESCAP/APPC(7)/1/Add.1)
Agenda item 1 of the provisional agenda includes (a) opening addresses; (b) election of officers; and (c) adoption of the agenda.
Scheduled to begin at 09:00 hours on Wednesday, 15 November 2023, the Conference will be opened by the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The Executive Secretary, followed by other senior officials and other representatives, will provide opening remarks.
Following these remarks, the Secretary of the Conference will then preside over the election of officers of the Conference. In line with its rules of procedure and usual practice, the Conference will elect, from among its members, a Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Conference.
Once the Chair and Vice-Chairs are elected, the Chair will take a seat at the rostrum and deliver some remarks. The Chair will then present the provisional agenda which will then be adopted by the Conference.
The Chair may invite addresses by high-level dignitaries and speakers.
All deliberations will be webcast live and statements delivered will be made available on the Commission website for download.
Agenda item 2: Review of progress made towards the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific.
Supporting documents:
Review of progress made towards the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/2)/Rev.1
The impacts of climate change on population and development in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/3)
Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific: a summary of the outcomes of stakeholder consultations (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/1)
Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific: a summary of the results of voluntary national surveys reported by member States (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/2)
Gender equality and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/3)
Universal health care in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/4)
Data and statistics to monitor the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/5)
Organization:
Agenda item 2 will start at about 09:30 on Wednesday, 15 November 2023 and conclude at 17:00 pm on the same day. There will be a 2-hour lunch break from 12:00-14:00. Side events might be organized during the lunch break. For more information on organizing side events, see Part II of this document.
The Chair will open agenda item 2, and the Meeting will proceed with a high-level panel discussion which will last for about 1 hour.
Following the panel discussion, member States will have the opportunity to present their national statements, followed by observer countries, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations entities and stakeholders, time permitting.
In view of time constraints, delegations are advised that statements made by individual ESCAP members and associated members should not exceed four minutes; statements made by observers, intergovernmental organizations or United Nations entities should not exceed three minutes; and statements by stakeholders should not exceed three minutes.
Delegations wishing to deliver country statements under agenda item 2 are requested to inscribe on the speakers list by Friday, 10 November 2023, by submitting the speaker request form.
Delegations are also encouraged to provide statements to the secretariat at <[email protected]> prior to delivery in electronic format, if possible. Statements will be used to facilitate interpretation and drafting of the report of the Conference. Statements will be posted to the Conference website after delivery unless requested otherwise.
Agenda item 3: Thematic discussion on achievements, challenges, gaps and emerging issues in the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific:
(a) Population dynamics, sustainable development and climate change;
(b) Health, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights;
(c) Inequalities and social exclusion, and rights;
(d) Partnerships and regional cooperation.
Supporting documents:
Review of progress made towards the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/2)/Rev.1
The impacts of climate change on population and development in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/3)
Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific: a summary of the outcomes of stakeholder consultations (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/1)
Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific: a summary of the results of voluntary national surveys reported by member States (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/2)
Gender equality and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/3)
Universal health care in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/4)
Data and statistics to monitor the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, as well as the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for its further implementation in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/APPC(7)/INF/5)
Organization:
Agenda item 3 will start at 09:00 am on Thursday, 16 November 2023 and conclude at 17:00 pm on the same day. There will be a 2-hour lunch break from 12:00-14:00. Side events might be organized during the lunch break. For more information on organizing side events, see Part II of this document.
There will be four round-table discussions which will also allow for interventions from the floor.
Four concept notes for the roundtable discussions will be posted on the meeting website in due course. They also provide information on guiding questions, which will allow delegations to prepare for the discussion. After about a 60-minute discussion among the panelists, the discussion will be opened to delegations to make short ad-hoc interventions from the floor.
In view of time constraints, delegations are advised that interventions made by individual States should not exceed four minutes; interventions made by observers, intergovernmental organizations or United Nations entities should not exceed three minutes; and interventions by stakeholders should not exceed three minutes. Discussions on this agenda item will be webcast live.
Agenda item 4: Other matters
Agenda item 4 of the provisional agenda provides the opportunity for members and associate members to raise other matters not covered under the items above.
Organization:
Agenda item 4 will start at 14:00 am on Friday, 17 November 2023. Prior, there will be a 2-hour lunch break from 12:00 to14:00. Side events might be organized during the lunch break (if there is need, side events can also be organized from 10:00 to 12:00 on 17 November). For more information on organizing side events, see Part II of this document. Discussions on this agenda item will be webcast live.
Agenda item 5: Adoption of the report on the Seventh Conference
Supporting documents:
Draft report (ESCAP/APPC(7)/L.1)
Organization:
Agenda item 5 will start once the discussion under agenda item 4 has concluded on Friday, 17 November 2023.
Under agenda item 5, the Conference will consider the adoption of the report.
Following the adoption of the report, the Executive Secretary will deliver a closing statement. The Chair may also deliver a closing statement before formally closing the session.
The draft record of proceedings of the Conference, prepared by the secretariat, will be circulated among members and associate members for comments after the Conference.