Information for the media

Videos

• Webcasting of press conferences

 

Accreditation

Accreditation for members of the media wishing to attend the Conference officially closed on 1 December 2015. Requests for accreditation after this date will only be considered on an exceptional basis. Please note that media personnel seeking to be accredited for the Ministerial Conference must submit proof that they represent a media organization. This should be provided through a “letter of assignment” from their organization.

• Online accreditation form
• Criteria for WTO accreditation of media for Ministerial Conferences
• Explanation of the media accreditation procedure

 

Badge collection

Accredited media personnel will be able to pick up their badges from the Accreditation Centre (see map) from 12 December 2015.  The opening hours for media accreditation will be as follows:

12 Dec:  2 pm – 8 pm
13–14 Dec:  10 am – 8 pm   
15-17 Dec:  8:30 am – 6 pm

Please note that journalist access to the Conference venue will be from GATE C (see map).

The following events will be open to the press:

• all press conferences and background briefings
• opening session (limited space available)
• plenary session — speeches by ministers
• closing session (limited space available)

Public areas open to journalists will be clearly marked. 

Badges for the opening and closing ceremonies will be available on a first come first served basis in the WTO Press Office situated in Taifa Hall from:

14-17 Dec 2015: 10am - 5pm
18 Dec 2015: 8:30am - 1pm

 

Facilities for the media

Press Working Area: about 250 work spaces (unequipped) will be available exclusively for journalists on the lower ground floor of the KICC.

Media booths: the Media Centre will offer a limited number of 3m x 3m booths for media organizations. For more information please contact the KICC on
+254 203 26 11 33

Briefings and press conferences: three briefing rooms are available for press conferences scheduled by the WTO Secretariat, ministers and other officials. In addition, the WTO Secretariat will organize regular briefings on key topics of interest.

A number of briefings and press conferences have been scheduled. Information on briefings will be communicated to media personnel on screens in the Press Working Area and here.

Internet: WIFI will be available at no cost at the KICC. The press working area will have cabled connections with high upload speed for use of TV stations and photographers uploading large files.

Other facilities: for media wishing to conduct interviews in a calm environment, three interview rooms fitted with a backdrop and a small radio booth, will be available. There will also be three terrace stand-up positions overlooking the conference grounds.  These can be booked in half-hour slots. Booking information will be available in due course.

Services for broadcasters:

• Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is the host broadcaster for the Ministerial Conference.
• Unbranded feeds from the main conference proceedings and the main press briefing room will be available from the Press Working Area free of charge and free of rights.
• Leading up to the Conference, and after key events during the Conference, the WTO will provide footage free of charge and free of rights.  To access available footage click here.

 

MC10 on the web

• Following the Ministerial Conference on the web: the main Conference proceedings will be webcast live in the three official languages of the WTO (English, French and Spanish). News items covering the latest MC10 developments will be posted regularly in the run-up to and during the Conference. Photos of the Conference will be provided for download several times a day on the WTO website and on Flickr.
• Official documents: documents relating to MC10 are available on the WTO website.

 

Background information

Ministerial Conferences take place every two years. These conferences are the pre-eminent decision-making body of the World Trade Organization and include ministers from all 162 WTO members.

Typically at these gatherings ministers review the current work of the WTO, take decisions on issues which the WTO delegations have put before them and on occasion take action to bring new members into the WTO. In Nairobi, ministers will take decisions on the potential membership of  Afghanistan and Liberia, two least-developed countries (LDCs) which have completed their accession negotiations in recent months.

Ministers also seek to decide on a number of negotiating topics included in the Doha Development Agenda, including on agriculture and issues of interest to LDCs.

For more details, check on news about the Ministerial Conference.  

A series of briefing notes designed to provide background information on issues relevant to the Ministerial Conference is available here.