ANNEX

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

ON THE ACCESS OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE MEDIA TO MEETINGS OF THE CONFERENCE ON THE HUMAN DIMENSION

The Chairman notes that the practices of openness and access to the Meetings of the Conference on the Human Dimension, as they were applied at the Vienna Meeting and as contained in Annex XI of the Concluding Document of that Meeting, are of importance to all participating States. In order to follow and build upon those practices at forthcoming CSCE meetings of the Conference on the Human Dimension, the participating States agree that the following practices of openness and access should be respected:

-free movement by members of interested non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Conference premises, except for the areas restricted to delegations and to the services of the Executive Secretariat. Accordingly, badges will be issued to them, at their request, by the Executive Secretariat;

-unimpeded contacts between members of interested NGOs and delegates, as well as with accredited representatives of the media;

-access to official documents of the Conference in all the working languages and also to any document that delegates might wish to communicate to members of interested NGOs;

-the opportunity for members of interested NGOs to transmit to delegates communications relating to the human dimension of the CSCE. Mailboxes for each delegation will be accessible to them for this purpose; -free access for delegates to all documents emanating from interested NGOs and addressed to the Executive Secretariat for the information of the Conference. Accordingly, the Executive Secretariat will make available to delegates a regularly updated collection of such documents;

Further undertake to guarantee to representatives of the media: -free movement in the Conference premises, except for the areas restricted to delegations and to the services of the Executive Secretariat. Accordingly, badges will be issued to them by the Executive Secretariat upon presentation of the requisite credentials;

-unimpeded contacts with delegates and with members of interested NGOs;

-access to official documents of the Conference in all the working languages.

The Chairman notes further that this statement will be an Annex to the Document of the Copenhagen Meeting and will be published with it.

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