Nature of the meeting

1. The meeting represents a departure from standard meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and is an opportunity for the Union, through its governing body, to discuss and develop a strategy for parliamentary action in relation to financing for development.

Agenda of the special session

1. Opening of the meeting
2. Debate on financing for development
3. Special hearing on financing for development
4. Consideration and adoption of the draft outcome documents
5. Close of the meeting

Organisation of work

2. The special session will, to the extent possible, adopt the working methods under consideration within the current reform process. After a brief opening plenary meeting, the special session will debate financing for development. During the second sitting, there will be a hearing with a senior international figure, relating to the item considered by the special session. The debate will subsequently resume and conclude its work at the end of its fourth sitting.

Delegations

3. The following delegations will be invited to the Special Session of the Council:

Participants: The two members of the Inter-Parliamentary Council of each IPU Member, as well as other delegates to broaden the composition of the meeting - particularly Speakers of Parliament, and Chairpersons and members of Parliamentary Committees dealing with the issues on the agenda - with a maximum of 5 per IPU Member, including at least one woman MP. Delegations can of course also be accompanied by the necessary advisors and secretariat staff. Delegations comprising two members of parliament from the Associate Members of the IPU.

Observers: All the observers invited on a regular basis to statutory Conferences.

Guest speakers: A limited number of guest speakers will be invited to address the meeting.

4. Speakers will include the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, as well as other personalities, including from the authorities of Switzerland.

Speaking time

5. There will be no general debate and no speakers' list. The main debate will take place during the four sittings at which the Chair will endeavour to ensure a lively exchange in which delegates speak for no more than three to four minutes at a time.

Documents

6. The IPU Council will appoint co-rapporteurs for the item on the agenda. The Rapporteurs will prepare a report on the subject and a corresponding draft resolution for the consideration of delegates. These documents will be sent to IPU Members ahead of the meeting.

7. While the report will remain the responsibility of the Rapporteurs, who may modify it to take account of comments made by delegates before and during the meetings, the draft resolution will be in the hands of delegates who can amend it as they see fit. Before the Special Council Session, delegates will accordingly receive a report from the Rapporteurs, together with a draft declaration or resolution.

8. IPU Members will not be asked to submit memoranda or other documents on the agenda item. They are instead invited to submit written comments and suggestions for the Rapporteurs' report as well as amendments to the draft resolution. Those Members wishing to circulate any other documents will be expected to bring a sufficient number of copies which could be made available on a suitably located table.

9. International organisations with particular expertise on the themes selected for debate at the meeting will be invited to submit background papers.

Adoption of outcome documents

10. The usual IPU Study Committee and Conference rules will apply to voting methods and majorities relating to the adoption of the draft resolution.

Summary records

11. Summary records will be prepared and circulated to delegates after the meeting.

Languages

12. Interpretation will be provided by the IPU in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. An additional four interpretation booths will be available to those delegations which traditionally avail themselves of this opportunity.

Place of meetings

13. The meeting will take place in the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) which is located in the vicinity of the United Nations Office in Geneva.

Practical arrangements for delegations

14. IPU Members are encouraged to contact their diplomatic or consular representatives in Geneva or Bern for practical assistance regarding hotel reservations, reception at the airport and transport in Geneva. In exceptional instances where there is no diplomatic or consular representation in Switzerland, the IPU Secretariat can facilitate contact with the Geneva Tourism Office.

15. Regarding visas, the IPU has concluded a headquarters agreement with the Swiss authorities on the basis of which Swiss Embassies abroad will issue entry visas to participants upon presentation of necessary documents, including the invitation and convocation to the Special Session. As the procedure for granting visas in certain instances can take many weeks, delegations are requested to request visas well in advance of the meeting.

Preparatory Committee

16. The Executive Committee will act as the Preparatory Committee for the special session and hold a further meeting on the eve of the event (to which it will also invite the members of the Union's Committee for Sustainable Development). The Committee will also act as Steering Committee and will provide advice to the President of the Special Session with regard to any procedural matter that may arise in the course of the special session.

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Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 107th Conference and related meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" in PDF format (file size approximately 436K). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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