No. 4

10:00 a.m.	The seventh Raul Prebisch Lecture	Main Committee Room
	"The global economy or the global age: an opportunity, not a peril", by Professor Jagdish Bhagwati

8:30 a.m.	Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency	Auditorium
1.30 p.m.	Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency	Auditorium

11:30 a.m.	Meeting of the Senior Officials of the Least Developed Countries	Gallagher Grill
3:00 p.m.	Latin American Group	Committee Room 1

Please see the notice board for any other group meetings or for changes to the schedule.

Opening of the Conference (agenda item 1)

In accordance with rule 16 of the rules of procedure of the Conference, the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was declared open by H.E. Mr. Juan Manuel Santos, President of the eighth session.

Mr. Santos made an opening address to the Conference.

Election of the President (agenda item 2)

The Conference elected by acclamation the Honourable Alec Erwin, Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa and the Head of the delegation of the host country, as President of the ninth session of the Conference.

Upon his election, the President made a statement.

The Inaugural Ceremony was held on Saturday, 27 April 1996, at 3:00 p.m. An inaugural address was delivered by H.E. Mr. Nelson R. Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa, and by H.E. Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Inaugural Ceremony was followed by two High-level Round Tables. Participants in the Round Table of Heads of State were:

• His Majesty King Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan;
• H.E. Mr. Nelson R. Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa;
• H.E. Mr. José-Maria Figueres, President of Costa Rica;
• H.E. Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania;
• H.E. Mr. Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, President of the Swiss Confederation.

Ms. Kitty Pilgrim (CNN) moderated the Round Table of Heads of State.

The Round Table of Heads of Agencies was presided over by Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the participation of:

• Mr. Michel Camdessus, Managing Director of IMF;
• Mr. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of UNCTAD;
• Mr. Renato Ruggiero, Director-General of WTO;
• Mr. Sven Sandström, Managing Director of the World Bank;
• Mr. James G. Speth, Administrator of UNDP.

The following five ministers also participated in the Round Table of Heads of Agencies:

• H.E. Mr. Fernando Naranjo Villalobos, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica;
• H.E. Mr. Ali Abu Ragheb, Minister of Industry and Trade, Jordan;
• H.E. Mr. Dan Abodakpi, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Ghana;
• H.E. Mr. Mohamed El Alami, Minister of Foreign Trade, Morocco;
• H.E. Ms. Kari Nordhein-Larsen, Minister for Development Cooperation, Norway.

Registration and accreditation

Admission to the Conference Centre will require the showing of an identity badge which will be issued to delegates upon registration. Identity badges will be issued on the basis of advance communications submitted by the Permanent Missions (Geneva or New York) to the UNCTAD secretariat. To obtain this badge, which shall be carried at all times, participants should contact the Registration Counter in the Delegates' Lounge at the Conference Centre as soon as possible after their arrival in Midrand. Registration will take place daily between 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The attention of participants is drawn to the fact that registration is solely for the purpose of obtaining individual identity badges. For purposes of formal accreditation and preparation of the official list of participants to the Conference, the credentials of representatives, alternates and advisers should be submitted in writing to the Secretary-General of the Conference and the original copy deposited with the Accreditation Office in the Green Room of the Delegates' Lounge as soon as possible.

Members of the Press who have applied for accreditation to the Conference may obtain their pass from the Media Accreditation Counter near the Registration Counter. Those members of the Press who have not yet applied should complete an application form that may be obtained from the counter and submit it together with an official letter of accreditation from their respective Press offices.

Requests for rooms and services for Group meetings

Requests for rooms and services for Group meetings should be made to Office 1 above the Plenary Hall (Telephone: 082 858 0596). Delegations are kindly asked to make such requests not later than 5 p.m. for meetings to be held the following day.

List of speakers

For inscriptions on the list of speakers in the general debate, please contact Mr. K. Tenzing, Deputy Secretary of the Conference, in Room L2-2, Extension 7624/7621.

Statements in the general debate

Delegations are reminded that, whenever possible, advance copies of statements should be made available to the conference room staff in order to facilitate the interpretation of the statement into the other official languages.

Texts of statements delivered in the general debate which are remitted to the secretariat will be reproduced and distributed during the Conference in the language version(s) in which they are received. There will be no facilities within the secretariat for typing, translation or reproduction in the other working or official languages of the Conference. Texts of statements for reproduction should be handed in to the UNCTAD Documents Submission Office in Room L3-15 (Extension: 7553).

Schedule of participation of Ministers

Delegations are requested to inform the Protocol Office (Room L3-1 in Office Block 2, Extension: 7562) of the scheduled arrival and departure of Ministers, so that a schedule of the attendance of Ministers can be drawn up and circulated.

Group Liaison Office

The Group Liaison Offices are located in Rooms:

• L3-3 (Extension 7564/7565)
• L3-6 (Extension 7566)
• L3-7 (Extension 7571)

Bilateral consultations

For bilateral consultations, please contact Office L2-9, Extension 7583.

Distribution of documents

The documentation for the Conference will be distributed to delegations in a limited number of copies in the official language of their choice, through their respective "pick-up boxes" situated at the Documents Counter in the Delegates' Lounge. A checklist of documents (TD(IX)/Misc.1.) will assist delegations in identifying essential documentation.

Attention is drawn to a note by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the control and limitation of documentation (A/AC.172/INF.15, of 16 August 1993). Moreover, in view of the current economic measures, delegations are requested to have with them their copies of essential documents throughout the Conference and to keep requests for additional copies to the minimum.

Mail

Any personal mail received at the Conference Centre will be distributed via the Documents Counter in the individual "pick-up boxes" in the Delegates' Lounge.

A post office service is available at the Business Centre in the Delegates' Lounge at the Conference Centre for postal, cable and telex services. Telephones can be operated by both card or cash for participants' own account. Secretarial services, photocopying or faxing will also be available for delegates at the Business Centre in the Delegates' Lounge.

Social events

In order to assist delegations in ensuring that their social events (e.g. cocktails and receptions) are not scheduled for the same date, it would be appreciated if delegations could contact the UNCTAD Protocol Office (Room L3-1 in Office Block 2, Extension: 7562) regarding the dates when they propose to hold these events.

Car parks

A number of parking places have been reserved for delegations in the Conference Centre area. Stickers for vehicles will be issued to delegations upon request by Chief Security Coordinator (Telephone:082 858 9030/082 858 9054).

Shuttle bus service

This service is provided by Springbok-Atlas and transfers will take place from the designated hotels to the Gallagher Estate Conference Centre. At Gallagher Estate, buses depart from the parking area outside the Main Entrance Gate and will be marked with the names of hotels. Special transportation needs may be arranged at the Travel Desk in the Delegates' Lounge (Enquiries:8052239).

First aid

An on-site clinic is available to provide all first aid facilities at the Conference Centre, including life-support equipment. Ambulance services are on-site and helicopter evacuation is possible in an emergency. All expenses incurred at hospitals, crisis centres or other medical care is for participants' own account (Telephone:8055928).

Security hints

The following advice is provided by the South African Police which will help your visit to be both safe and enjoyable:

• Use only the main entrance of your hotel.
• Plan your journey before you leave your hotel.
• If you intend travelling off the beaten track, ask hotel staff at the reception desk to check your intended route with local community liaison officers.
• Do not draw attention to yourself by displaying large amounts of cash, expensive jewellery or cameras.
• In an emergency - call the South African Police at this number:
  10111 (Toll-free)

• Place and keep all your valuables in your hotel's safety deposit box.
• Ensure that your hotel room door is securely locked when you are in the room and whenever you leave it.
• Should someone knock on your door, do not open the door before you have identified the person on the other side.
• Be sure to leave your hotel room keys with hotel staff at the reception desk whenever you leave your room.
• Never leave your property unattended in any public place.

Lost property

Enquiries should be made at the Information Desk in the Delegates' Lounge of the Conference Centre, or by telephoning (011)805 5988/805 5989.

Arts & crafts market and exhibition

A traditional South African crafts market will be held during the Conference in the Exhibition Hall, Lower Level 2 below the Plenary Hall, which is the ideal place to buy your mementos at affordable prices. All items on sale are hand-made and represent a variety of unique indigenous art works, such as baskets, bead work, sculptures and hand- woven articles.

You will also be able to see traditional artists from the great variety of South African cultures at work in the Rose Garden as well as a display of their work.

Participants in the Crafts Market will be the National Crafts Association and the KARA Cultural Foundation, who are representative of traditional South African arts and crafts. By buying from them, you will be helping the people who most need your support.

9:30 a.m.	241st Plenary Meeting (TD/365 and Add. 1)	Plenary Hall
	Report by the Chairman of the Pre-Conference Meeting of Senior Officials (TD/371) Establishment of sessional bodies (agenda item 3) Election of Vice-Presidents and the Rapporteur (agenda item 4) Credentials of representatives to the Conference (agenda item 5 (a)) Adoption of the agenda (agenda item 6) General debate (agenda item 7)
11:00 a.m.	Ministerial Round Table	Plenary Hall
	Theme: Globalization: development, instability and marginalization
3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.	242nd Plenary Meeting General debate (agenda item 7)	Plenary Hall
3:00 p.m.	Committee of the Whole (TD/367)	Main Committee Room

8:30 a.m.	Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency	Auditorium
1.30 p.m.	Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency	Auditorium