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Opening of the Conference and election of the President
2. The 240th (opening) plenary meeting of the Conference will be opened on Saturday, 27 April 1996, by the head of the delegation (Colombia) from which the President of the previous session had been elected. The purpose of the opening meeting will be to proceed with the election of the President of the ninth session of the Conference.
Inaugural Ceremony
3. Following the opening of the Conference, the Inaugural Ceremony, including the High-level Segment, will also be held on Saturday, 27 April. Full details will announced in the first issue of the Journal of the Conference.
Establishment of sessional bodies
4. At its twelfth executive session, the Trade and Development Board recommended, in accordance with rule 62, that the Conference establish a Committee of the Whole to consider and report on matters referred to it by the Plenary, and to establish other bodies, such as drafting groups, should this be called for.
Allocation of items
5. Also at its twelfth executive session, the Trade and Development Board recommended the following allocation of items:
Plenary
Items 1 to 7, 9 and 10
Committee of the Whole
Item 8
6. It is understood that the Plenary will accommodate the general debate and all other matters requiring action by the Conference, in addition to the adoption of the outcome of the Committee of the Whole. In discharging its functions the Committee of the Whole may wish to follow working methods similar to those followed at the twelfth executive session of the Board . The Committee may, as necessary, establish drafting groups during the second week of the Conference in order to finalize its work.
7. For details of the items allocated to the Plenary and the Committee of the Whole, see annex I.
Ministerial Roundtables
8. As recommended by the Board at its twelfth executive session, the Ministerial Roundtables will take place each morning prior to the Plenary sessions (30 April to 3 May 1996). The specific themes for the roundtables will be announced prior to each session in the Journal of the Conference.
Parallel events
9. Several parallel events are scheduled to take place in conjunction with the Conference. (see annex II).
Meetings facilities and timetable for the Conference
10. A proposed timetable for the Conference is contained in annex II to the present document. It is understood that the timetable may have to be adjusted in the light of developments.
11. The official hours of the Conference will be 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. During the general debate (Tuesday, 30 April to Friday, 3 May) evening Plenary meetings will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
12. It is recommended that full use be made of all meeting facilities throughout the Conference and that presiding officers be encouraged to enforce strict starting and closing times for meetings.
Control and limitation of documentation
13. In the light of the 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), and 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.
8. Promoting growth and sustainable development in a globalizing and liberalizing world economy
Meeting the challenge of maximizing the developmental impact of globalization and liberalization, while minimizing the risks of marginalization and instability. Towards this end, the Conference will deal with the following topics: