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General Assembly
Updated on June 8, 2015
Press Manual
1. General Information
1.1. Official program
The forty‐fifth regular session of the General Assembly will be held on June 15 and 16, 2015, at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington, DC.
The Official Program of activities of the General Assembly is available on the OAS Web page: www.oas.org (click on "General Assembly") or directly at www.oas.org/en/45ga.
1.2 Central Theme of the General Assembly
The theme proposed by the Mission of Uruguay to the OAS, and to be discussed by the Foreign Ministers of the Americas will be: "The present and future of the Organization." Read a press release about it here: http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-158/15.
1.3. Languages and work documents
The official languages for the work of the General Assembly are: Spanish, French, English and Portuguese.
The work sessions of the General Assembly will offer interpreting services in these languages.
Furthermore, sound distribution of the inaugural and plenary sessions of the General Assembly will be made in the above‐mentioned languages.
Official documents in the four official languages of the General Assembly will be available on the OAS General Assembly webpage, and hardcopies will be made available in the International Media Center upon request.
Journalists are advised to bring laptops and earphones should they wish to hear audio of General Assembly meetings in one of the other official languages of the OAS by accessing the live Webcast. Handheld translation audio devices will not be made available to the media.
1.4. Headquarters of the General Assembly
The 45th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) will take place on June 15 and 16, 2015, at the headquarters of the Organization of American States located at 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006.
1.5. OAS Member States
* On June 3, 2009, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Americas adopted resolution GA/RES. 2438 (XXXIX‐O/09), which resolves that the Resolution from 1962 through which the Government of Cuba was excluded from participating in the inter‐American system is without effect in the Organization of American States (OAS). The 2009 resolution declares that the participation of the Republic of Cuba in the OAS will be the result of a process of dialogue to begin at the request of the Government of the Republic of Cuba and in conformity with the practices, goals, and principles of the OAS.
2. Press accreditation and information prior to the event
2.1. Accreditation
Requests for accreditation will be accepted from May 15 until June 8. To receive accreditation; the applicant must fill out a form found on the OAS webpage at http://www.oas.org/en/45ga/press_manual.asp. Once the required information is received and processed, the applicant will receive an email concerning acceptance and approval of accreditation.
2.2. Requirements
Requests for accreditation must be made individually, only online and must be made through the OAS General Secretariat.
Each request must include a digitalized note no larger than 1Mb from the director of the media company requesting accreditation that must indicate the name of the press official to be accredited.
Furthermore, the applicant must include a recent passport-sized color photograph in JPEG format.
All media representatives are requested to provide all the information indicated on the form in order to obtain their credentials. At the time of registration the applicant must enter a personal e-mail.
2.3. Picking up your credentials
OAS press credentials may be picked up from June 12 to 16 at the Padilha Vidal Room of the General Secretariat building of the OAS (GSB), located at 1889 F Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20006, as indicated below:
Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 (local time)
Saturday, June 13 - CLOSED
Sunday, June 14 and Monday June 15 from 8:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 (local time)
Tuesday, June 16, from 8:00 to 13:00 (local time)
In order to pass through security controls and pick up credentials, you must present the email confirmation of your accreditation and your media identification.
For security reasons and to control access to meetings of the General Assembly, members of the press, in addition to presenting their OAS issued press credentials for the General Assembly, must present their own identification card issued by the media organization they represent. They must visibly display these two documents (media identification and OAS credentials) on their persons in order to obtain access to the meetings and events to which they have been invited.
2.4. Requirements for entering and leaving the country
Citizens of some countries of the hemisphere do not need visas to enter United States. If you require a visa, the US Government recommends that the process be carried out at the US embassy closest to your home. For more information visit: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english.html.
2.5. Security and technical inspection
For security reasons, press equipment will be inspected before coverage of the various meetings, which is why we request that you arrive at least one hour in advance.
Journalists must restrict their movement to press‐authorized areas, except when appropriate times are set up for photographs and video with the assistance of personnel from the OAS Press Department.
2.6. Press conferences
- All press conferences held during the General Assembly will take place in a room designated for the purpose.
- Press conferences will have interpretation in Spanish and English.
- At the end of the press conference, video, audio, photographs and press releases will be made available.
2.7 Advisories and Press Communications
All official documents, advisories, press releases, photo galleries and announcements will be published on the official website of the General Assembly www.oas.org/en/45ga) and sent to the media representatives to the email address given on the press credential application. If you would like to receive the communications at some other email address, please write to [email protected].
To receive updates on events, announcements, photographs and press releases from the General Assembly, follow @OASofficial on Twitter and/or #OEA_45AG and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OASofficial.
3. Areas and services for the media
3.1. International Media Center
Media representatives with General Assembly credentials will have access to the International Media Center. It will be located on the ground floor of the headquarters of the OAS; will be open beginning on Monday, June 15 from 07:00 (Local time) until the end of the day, and on Tuesday, June 16 from 07:00 (Local time) until the end of the day.
This center will offer the following services:
- Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi). Connectivity in the OAS historic building can be limited at times. If you need a special bandwidth (for the transmission of high-resolution pictures or videos), you should use your own equipment for Internet access (hotspot).
- Closed circuit television to monitor the transmission. The inaugural meeting and the plenaries will be broadcast live in the International Media Center. Sound will be original language from the plenary hall. To hear interpretation you will need to connect via webcast http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/webcast_schedule.asp
- Electricity voltage in the United States is: 120 volts AC, 60 Hz.
- The radio and television transimission center will have a video signal on the screen and original audio. There will be an audio box with 20 outputs in the original language.
- To request high-definition video, contact Mr. Ernesto Cossich at [email protected]
3.2. Internet
The OAS, through its webpage (www.oas.org) and the official webpage of the General Assembly
www.oas.org/en/45ga, will provide live webcast services of the meetings of the Foreign Ministers, the Opening Ceremony, the Plenary Sessions and the Press Conferences in the four official languages of the OAS. The videos will be available on the webpage http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/videos.asp
3.3. Plenary Sessions and Press Conferences
If you wish to link the webcast to your website, please send an email to: [email protected] and/or contact Ernesto Cossich ([email protected]). Radio and television stations that wish to air the webcast signal are authorized to do so.
The OAS, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/oasoea/, will have galleries of high resolution photographs from the General Assembly that you may publish with due credit. Similarly, official documents, draft resolutions, reports, speeches, press releases and other documents will become immediately available on the Assembly’s Web page.
3.4. Photographers and cameramen/women
Photographers and cameramen/women will be allowed to take images of particular events to be announced in due time. Among them are the following:
- Inaugural ceremony
- First plenary session on each of the two days of the General Assembly
- Closing ceremony
- Closing ceremony press conference
3.5. Press “pools”
If necessary, press "pools" are groups of limited size of media representatives (photographers and camera operators) who will be granted access to those events in which space is limited in order to capture images. The makeup of these “pools” will be announced in due time.
3.6. Official photograph
The official photograph will be taken on Monday, June 15 at 16:45 (local time) in the forecourt of the headquarters of the OAS.
3.7 Official radio and TV signal
OAS will operate as the host channel for the Assembly, distributing the signal to all other channels.
CONTACTS for the official signal: Ernesto Cossich [email protected]
In the Press Room service is available for audio and video signal plenary sessions. Journalists are responsible for getting the right stuff to make connections.
4. Hotels and Interesting Tips
4.1. Recommended Hotels for the press
Close to the headquarters of the OAS General Assembly which will be held the hotels are located in the following listing. The Organization is not responsible or special tariffs or quotas.
| Name | Contact Information |
|---|---|
| Avenue Suites | Phone: 202-464-5603 Address: 2500 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20037 http://www.avenuesuites.com |
| River Inn | Phone: 202-342-2239 Address: 924 25th Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20037 http://www.theriverinn.com/ |
| The One Washington Circle & George Washington University Inn | Phone: 202-730-1262 Address: One Washington Circle, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 http://www.thecirclehotel.com/ http://www.gwuinn.com/ |
| The Normandy Hotel | Phone: 202-448-1771 http://www.thenormandydc.com/ |
| The Quincy Hotel | Phone: 202-827-8222 http://www.thequincy.com/ |
| Holiday Inn Capitol by the Smithsonian Museums and L'Enfant Plaza | Phone: 202-479-4000 Address: 550 C Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 www.ihg.com |
| InterContinental – The Willard | Phones: (202) 628-9100 / (800) 496 7621 Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20004 http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/washington/washa/hoteldetail |
| Crowne Plaza – The Hamilton | Phone: 202-682-0111 Address: 1001 14th Street NW Washington DC 20005 http://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/washington/wasks/hoteldetail |
5. Useful information
5.1. Vaccination
To find if you need special vaccinations to enter the country visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/laws-regs/vaccination-immigration/revised-vaccination-immigration-faq.html.
5.2. Maps
6.1 Activities prior to the start of the Forty-Fifth Regular Session of the General Assembly
| Sunday, June 14 | |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Dialogue of the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General with representatives of civil society and other social actors Venue: Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS |
| 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Dialogue of the Heads of Delegation, the Secretary General, and the Assistant Secretary General with representatives of civil society, labor unions, the private sector, and other social actors. Topic: “Present and Future of the Organization of American States” Venue: Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Dialogue of the Heads of Delegation, the Secretary General, and the Assistant Secretary General with the heads of delegation of the permanent observers Topic: “Present and Future of the Organization of American States” Venue: Padilha Vidal Room, General Secretariat building of the OAS (GSB) |
6.2 Preliminary agenda
| Monday, June 15 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Registration of participants |
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. |
INAUGURAL SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS |
| 10:00 a.m. | First PLENARY SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS
|
| 10:30 a.m. | Second PLENARY SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS
|
| 10:30 a.m. | First meeting of the GENERAL COMMITTEE Simón Bolívar Room, Main Building, OAS |
| 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Luncheon/private dialogue of the Heads of Delegation with the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General Venue: Ruben Dario Room |
| 4:45 p.m. | Official photograph of the Heads of Delegation OAS Main Building |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Private Dialogue of Heads of Delegation, accompanied by one delegate, with the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General Venue: Ruben Dario Room |
| 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
Second PLENARY SESSION (continued) Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS Dialogue of heads of delegation (continued) Topic: “Present and Future of the Organization of American States” |
| 2:30 p.m. | Second meeting of the GENERAL COMMITTEE Simón Bolívar Room, Main Building, OAS |
| 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. |
Reception |
| Tuesday, June 16 | |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) AG/RES. 1848 (XXXII-O/02), operative paragraph 2 Venue: Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS |
| 9:00 a.m. | Third meeting of the GENERAL COMMITTEE Simón Bolívar Room, Main Building, OAS |
| 11:00 a.m. | Third PLENARY SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS
|
| 1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. | PRESS CONFERENCE WITH SECRETARY GENERAL LUIS ALMAGRO Venue: San Martín Room |
| 3:00 p.m. | Fourth PLENARY SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS
|
| 6:00 p.m. | CLOSING SESSION Hall of the Americas, Main Building, OAS |