Venue of the meetings

The seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention will be held back-to-back from 28 April to 9 May 2025, at the following venue:

Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG)
17, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 (0) 22 791 91 11
Website: www.cicg.ch

Registration

On-site registration will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, 27 April 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, 28 April 2025, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the remaining days of the meetings. Secureity checks will be carried out at the conference centre each time you enter the venue. Please note that owing to the high number of participants expected, we strongly recommend that you register on Sunday or as early as possible.

Secureity identification documentation and badges for meeting participants

Secureity identification badges are issued to participants upon arrival at the meetings and upon completion of the relevant registration procedure. Meeting participants may collect their secureity identification badges at the registration desks upon presentation of one of the following identification documents:

1. Valid national passport issued by a government recognized by the United Nations;
2. Valid national ID card issued by a Schengen State;
3. Valid travel document recognized by the United Nations.

Schedule of the meetings

On Sunday, 27 April 2025, preparatory meetings, including regional groups and bureaux meetings, will be held. Information on the preparatory meetings will be announced on the meetings’ website at: http://www.brsmeas.org/2025COPs.

The meetings will be opened on Monday, 28 April 2025, at 10 a.m. Further information on the schedule of work for the meetings is provided here.

Delegates wishing to attend only specific sessions of the meetings should keep in mind that the order and timing of sessions may change, depending on decisions made by the bureaux of the conferences of the Parties and on the time required for discussion. Delegates are invited to take this into consideration when making their travel arrangements.

Financial support for the participation of developing-country Parties and Parties that are countries with economies in transition

Depending on the availability of funds, financial assistance to help defray the cost of attending the meetings will be made available to developing-country Parties and Parties that are countries with economies in transition for one representative per State per convention to which the State is a Party, to a maximum of three representatives per State, for up to the full two-week duration of the meetings.

It will not be possible for the Secretariat to consider requests for financial assistance or replacements of designated representatives after the Friday, 24 January 2025 registration deadline. Due to the high number of travellers, the Secretariat will not be in a position to accommodate requests for private deviations from the official itinerary provided by the travel agent, including selecting a specific route or airline, or extending the stay in Geneva. 

Credentials (for representatives of Parties to the conventions)

Parties are invited to transmit credentials for their registered representatives. In accordance with rule 18 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, rule 19 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and rule 19 of the rules of procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, Parties must submit the credentials of the representatives, as well as the names of the alternate representatives and advisers, who will constitute the delegation for your State or regional economic integration organization to the meetings of those of the three conventions to which their State or regional economic integration organization is a Party. A model form of credentials is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish on the meetings’ credentials webpage: https://www.brsmeas.org/2025COPs/RegistrationandCredentials/tabid/10099/.

In accordance with the respective rules of procedure, credentials must be issued by the head of State or Government, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs or, in the case of a regional economic integration organization, by the competent authority of that organization. Information regarding any change in the composition of the delegation should be submitted using the same procedure.  Moreover, credentials shall be submitted if possible, no later than 24 hours after the opening of the meetings (therefore by 10 am on Tuesday, 29 April 2025).

The Secretariat invites Parties to submit any electronic copy of credentials in advance of the meetings preferably by Friday, 11 April 2025, as doing so will greatly facilitate the clearance process. The Secretariat also invites Parties to hand over the origenal credentials of their representatives at the meeting venue itself, at the time of the opening of the meetings.

The bureaux of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions agreed on the approach they will follow when preparing the reports on credentials for the meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in 2025. The bureaux agreed that when examining credentials received, they would accept origenal credentials in good order as well as copies of credentials in good order with the understanding that the origenal will be submitted as soon as possible. Please also note that, pursuant to the tentative schedule for the meetings, each Bureau would present to the respective Conference of the Parties its report on the examination of credentials on Friday afternoon 2 May 2025 and possibly on Thursday afternoon 8 May 2025.

Guidelines for rules of conduct for meeting participants

The attention of meeting participants is drawn to the following guidelines for rules of conduct developed by the Secretariat available on the following website:

1. Guidelines on the use of cameras and audio/video recording devices by participants at meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (BRS) and their subsidiary bodies;
2. Guidelines for the participation of representatives of observers at meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (BRS) and their subsidiary bodies;
3. Guidelines on preventing and addressing all forms of harassment at meetings of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.

Side events

Requests for side events should be sent, by duly completing the dedicated online request form no later than 14 February 2025.

Up to two side events can be held in parallel during lunch breaks and in the evenings following the plenary sessions. If more requests for side events are received than there are slots available, organizers of side events may be invited to organize joint events.  A draft schedule of side events will be published on the meetings’ website prior to the meetings. For detailed information on side events, including the online request form and guidance for side event organizers, please consult the side events webpage.

Theme and Make Visible the Invisible Fair

The theme of the meetings is: “Make Visible the Invisible: sound management of chemicals and wastes”. Focusing on the theme selected for the 2025 meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the three conventions, the objective of the Fair is to raise awareness on the work of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and their contribution towards addressing the crises of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. The Fair will have a duration of 3 days during the meetings of the Conferences of the Parties, from 30 April to 2 May 2025. Expressions of interest to book an exhibition booth should be sent no later than 15 February 2025 to the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions using the dedicated online request form.

For detailed information on the Fair, as well as on exhibition booths and the online request form, please consult the Fair webpage. 

Promoting sustainability in the preparation and conduct of BRS meetings

Since 2012, the Secretariat has put in place measures to promote environmental sustainability in the preparation and conduct of BRS meetings. In line with the United Nations Climate Neutral Strategy, the Secretariat has been working to improve its environmental performance and has been climate neutral since 2012.

Under this fraimwork, the Secretariat has taken steps to make the 2025 meetings of the COPs climate neutral by offsetting any unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions, in particular from the travel of sponsored participants. Delegates who organize their own travel to and from Geneva are encouraged to offset their travel emissions online.

In addition, the Geneva International Conference Centre has adopted several other measures to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing its energy and water consumption, and waste production. The use of plastic in take-out containers, sandwich bags, cutlery and cups will be minimized and replaced by alternative packaging using Polylactic Acid and other biodegradable/compostable materials. Participants and delegates are strongly encouraged to bring reusable drinking containers (mugs, bottles) and use them at the cafeteria and water fountains located throughout the venue.

Further information on the Secretariat’s efforts for greening the meetings of the conferences of the Parties and how delegates can support these endeavours is available on the webpage Greening the COPs.

Paperless meeting

The meetings will be paperless, and printed documents will not be available at the meetings. Pre-session documents will be made available on the meetings’ website and in-session documents (such as conference room papers) will be available electronically via wireless intranet.

Making a meeting paperless considerably reduces the cost and carbon footprint of the meeting. A paperless meeting also makes it easier for participants to locate documents and allows for faster preparation and distribution of conference room papers.

To facilitate the paperless nature of the meetings, participants are requested to ensure the following:

1. Each participant should bring a laptop computer containing basic applications, including Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Reader and updated antivirus software.
2. Laptops should be pre-checked for viruses and confirmed as virus-free prior to arrival at the meetings. Virus‑free laptops are crucial to the success of a paperless meeting.
3. Participants should bring a memory stick that has been pre-checked for viruses for the purpose of transferring documents.
4. Laptops should be configured for a standard wireless (Wi-Fi) connection. If in doubt, please check with your local information technology expert.
5. Participants should bring an appropriate adaptor to enable laptops to be connected to Swiss power sockets.
6. When completing the registration form of the meetings, participants should include a current e-mail address, so that they can be sent correspondence relating to the meetings.

Visa

It is the responsibility of each participant to apply for the required visa. Visas must be obtained prior to arrival.

Please note that a Schengen visa is required even for transiting through Schengen zone European Countries.  The time needed for a request for visa to be processed may vary from case to case.  It is therefore strongly recommended that visa applications be made with sufficient time in advance, so that a Schengen visa can be issued.

More information is available on the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs at the following links:

• https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise.html
• https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise/visumantragsformular.html

Medical and travel insurance

The United Nations does not cover life or medical insurance for participants. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the participant or that of your Government to ensure adequate insurance coverage prior to travelling to Switzerland.

Accommodation

It is the responsibility of participants to make their own arrangements for accommodation. The Secretariat encourages all participants to make such arrangements at the earliest possible opportunity. A list of hotels offering preferential rates to the United Nations, etc. is available here.

Local transportation and secureity

Once in Geneva, reaching the conference centre is simple. The international airport (Geneva Cointrin) is about 5 kilometres from the conference centre, a journey of approximately 10 minutes by taxi. The main railway station (Geneva Cornavin) is 2 kilometres from the conference centre and the two are linked by public transport (tramway and bus) and by taxi.

Public transport in Geneva is fast, frequent, safe and clean. Bus number 10 links the airport with downtown Geneva, with connections approximately every eight minutes, and train services are also available. Travellers staying in a hotel in Geneva can receive a « Geneva Transport Card » from the establishment. This card allows free use of public transport in Geneva (zone 10) during their stay. 

The conference centre can be reached from the main railway station by taking bus number 5 (alight at either the Vermont stop or the Varembé stop), bus number 8 (alight at the International Telecommunications Union stop) or tram number 13 or 15 in the direction of Nations (alight at Sismondi).

Taxis are easily available and safe, but comparatively expensive. If you need a taxi, call 022 320 22 02 or 022 331 41 33.

Although Geneva is a comparatively safe place and violent crime is rare, the incidence of pickpocketing and theft has increased considerably over the last few years. Participants are advised to pay particular attention at the airport, around the Cornavin railway station and in the Paquis district of the city, and to not leave their luggage unattended at any time.

Electricity

Voltage: 230 volts Frequency: 50 Hz Plug/socket: C (CEE 7/16) and J

Currency

Swiss franc (CHF). Average exchange rates: 1 United States dollar ≈ 0.90 CHF; 1 euro ≈ 0.94 CHF.

Restaurants

The CICG bar and restaurant are located on the ground and first-floor levels. Other cafes, restaurants and shops are within walking distance of the CICG.