WT/MIN(15)/INF/16  
 
2 December 2015  
(15-6347)  Page: 1/3  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015    
 
NOTE TO DELEGATIONS 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONFERENCE SE SSIONS AND OVERALL PROGRAMME 
 
 
1  OFFICERS 
The Officers of the Tenth Session of the Ministerial Conference are as follows: 
 
Chairperson:  H.E. Ms Amina Mohamed (Kenya) 
 
 Vice-Chairs:  H.E. Mr Alexander Mora (Costa Rica) 
H.E. Mr Carlo Calenda (Italy) 
H.E. Mr Gregory L. Domingo (Philippines) 
 
 
2  OPENING SESSION 
The Conference will be opened at 3:00 p.m. on  Tuesday 15 December by the President of the 
Republic of Kenya, H.E. Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, who will address the Ministerial Conference. Because 
of the participation of President Kenyatta and other high-level dignitaries, delegates should plan to 
arrive at the KICC at least one hour before the scheduled start time to accommodate special security arrangements. 
 
During the Session, the Ministerial Conference will also be addressed by the Chairman, the 
Director-General and the Chairman of the General Council. Before closing the Session, the 
Chairman will propose the adoption of the Agenda.
1 
 The Opening Session will take place in the Tsav o Room and seating for delegations will be 
indicated by chair bands. Special arrangements will be in place for the Opening Session to facilitate 
the arrival of Heads of delegation and delegate s, and these will be announced in due course. 
  
3  PLENARY SESSION  
The Plenary Session will commence at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday 16 December and will continue 
over the following days. As at past Ministerial Co nferences, the Plenary will provide an opportunity 
for Ministers to make prepared statements in accordance with the List of Speakers, which was 
opened for inscription on 9 November.   T h e  L i s t  o f  S p e a k e r s  w i l l  b e  t a k e n  u p ,  s t a r t i n g  w i t h  t h e  h o s t s  a n d  C h a i r s  o f  p r e v i o u s  W T O  
Ministerial Conferences in chronological order, in keeping with established practice. The Plenary 
Session will take place in Tsavo 2, and seating for delegations will be indicated by chair bands.  
Full details concerning arrangements for speakers in the Plenary Session can be found in 
WT/MIN(15)/INF/9.  
 
                                               
1 Contained in WT/MIN(15)/W/1. WT/MIN(15)/INF/16 
 
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  4  INFORMAL SESSIONS 
Information on any informal sessions for Ministers will be provided in due course. Any such 
sessions would take place in parallel to the Plenary Session.  
 
5  ACCESSIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA AND OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN 
The Ministerial Conference will take up the Accessi on of the Republic of Liberia and the Accession 
of Afghanistan under Item 2 (Action by Ministers), in separate sessions as indicated below in the Overall Programme. The normal Plenary Session  will be suspended during the Accessions. 
 
A fax will be sent to delegations concerning statements welcoming these Accessions. Because of 
time constraints, only a limited number of statemen ts will be possible during the separate session, 
and the understanding of delegations in this respect will be appreciated. 
 
As in the Plenary Session, interventions are limited to 3 minutes per speaker. The same traffic light system will be in operation to facilitate adherence to the allotted time period. Delegations are 
also requested to transmit statements to the Secr etariat in advance of delivery of the statement 
by the Minister (See WT/MIN(15)/INF/9). The Accessions will take place in room Tsavo 2. Seating for delegations will be indicated by chair bands.  
 
6  CLOSING SESSION 
The Closing Session will take place on Friday 18 December, at 12:00 p.m. in room Tsavo 2. 
Seating for delegations will be indicated by chair bands. 
  WT/MIN(15)/INF/16 
 
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  7  OVERALL PROGRAMME 
Below is a preliminary overview of the programme of formal sessions of the Ministerial Conference. 
This programme may be subject to change.   
 
Programme for the Ministerial Conference 
 
 
 
Tuesday  
15 December   
Opening Session 
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. 
 Wednesday  
16 December  
Plenary Session 
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 
 Plenary Session  2:00 – 4:00 p.m. 
 
Accession of the Republic of Liberia   
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. 
 
 Thursday  
17 December  
Plenary Session 
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Plenary Session 
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. 
 Accession of the Islamic Republic of 
Afghanistan 
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.  
 Friday  18 December  
Plenary Session (as necessary) 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
 
Closing Session 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. 
 
  
Delegations are advised that meetings will begin on time. In this regard, delegations are strongly encouraged to allow adequate time for any traffic-related delays in Nairobi and security screening 
at the KICC in advance of the scheduled meetings. 
 For the above-mentioned Sessions, delegations are kindly requested to wear business attire. 
 
 
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