Collection of badges

Delegates can enter FAO headquarters from the main gate on Viale delle Terme di Caracalla to access the registration counter. 

Delegates are reminded to present a printed or electronic copy of their Priority Pass and a valid identification card with photo at the registration counter in order to obtain their conference badge.  In view of the large number of participants, it is advisable to collect the badges as early as possible or allow for queuing time.

It should be noted that access to the meeting rooms will be restricted and open to CBD registered delegates only.

Registration hours

23 February 2025                     from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

24, 25, 26 February 2025      from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

27 February 2025                   from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

For security reasons and to gain access to the venue and meeting rooms, the display of conference badges is mandatory at all times inside the FAO Complex.  Any loss of a badge should be reported immediately to the registration counter.

The venue of the Meetings will be accessible for participants with reduced mobility needs.

All participants are requested to make their own hotel arrangements.  There is a wide range of accommodations near the FAO Headquarters building.  

The Convention on Biological Diversity meetings and events participants should be professional, respectful, inclusive and create harassment-free environments for all participants.

The Guidelines on Conduct Expected of Participants in CBD Processes is available here:  Guidelines-CBD-processes-Second-Resumed-COP-16-CP-MOP-11-NP-MOP-5-2025.pdf

The Code of Conduct for UN System Events is available here.

We encourage reporting any incident to the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) located at the venue.

The use of the CBD, Biodiversity Plan, and COP-16 logos require written authorization from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.  Requests to use any of the logos should be sent to secretariat@cbd.int.

The Daily Calendar/Schedule will be available under the ‘Schedule’ tab on the main conference web page at:  https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2024.   Please note that the schedule shows entries for the duration of the second resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP-MOP-5, items are constantly updated, therefore please ensure to check the schedule regularly for up-to-date information.

The Second Resumed  sessions will be held in Rome, Italy from 25 to 27 February 2025.  This comprises:

• Second resumed session of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-16), 
• Second resumed session of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-11)
• Second resumed session of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization (NP-MOP-5)

Pre-session and in-session documents for the Second Resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP-MOP-5 will be available on the Conference home page at:  https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2024 or through the meeting links on the www.cbd.int/meetings web page.

In order to minimize the negative environmental impact of the Meetings, the Meetings will be held paperless (i.e. there will be no hard copies of documents available at the venue).  

At FAO Headquarter, several food services / catering facilities are available for participants:

• Building A, Ground floor: Bar A (Delegate Lounge) - 8:00 to 22:00
• Building B, Ground floor: Bar Hall of Flags – 8:00 to 15:00
• Building B, 8th floor:
   o Food Court – 12:00 to 15:00
   o Bar Fountain – 8:00 to 15:00
• Building C, 8th floor:
   o Restaurant – 12:00 to 15:00
   o Uzbekistan Lounge – 8:00 to 17:00
• Building D, Ground floor: Bar D – 8:00 to 17:00

Kindly consult a medical professional for any medical requirements prior to travel to Italy. 

The CBD Secretariat disclaims all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of or damage to personal property and for any other loss that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation.  In this context, it is strongly recommended that participants secure, prior to departure, international medical insurance for the period of participation.

A list of delegations attending each of the meetings will be prepared by the Secretariat and made available to registered delegates prior to the closing of the Second Resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP‑MOP-5. Participants who do not wish to have their full coordinates appear on the list of participants should notify the Secretariat staff at the registration counter or by email.

Media participation at CBD meetings is subject to accreditation by the CBD Secretariat and is strictly reserved for members of the press - print, photo, radio, TV, film, news agencies and online media - who represent a bona fide media organization. 

Please find media accreditation procedures and other information at:  https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2024/media

The media accreditation online form can be found at:  https://www.cbd.int/participation/2024/media/checklist 

Media accreditation requests need to be submitted as soon as possible.  Kindly note that it is not possible to register on-site.

 Please also note the following:

• Independent broadcast or film production companies are required to provide a letter from a broadcast organization or film distributor which has committed to air or distribute the work or from the UN partner organization that supports the production.
• Print media representatives may be required to submit two bylined articles within the past four months and a copy of the publications.
• Radio and TV media representatives may be asked to submit two recordings of reports within the past six months.
• Photographers may be required to submit original tear sheets or photos with credits of the issuing organization.
• Online media must meet the following requirements, in addition to those above:
  • The web publication must belong to a registered company, such as a media organization, and have a specific, verifiable non-web address and a telephone number.
  • The online journal requesting accreditation for its correspondent must have a substantial amount of original news content or commentary or analysis on international issues.
  • If the web site is new, the applicant seeking accreditation must provide the latest data on the site's visitors or other relevant material (press citations, etc.) about the outlet's audience. The applicant must have an established record of having written extensively on international issues and must present copies of three recently published articles published in the last six months with his/her byline.
• Online publications which are communications outreach or advocacy publications of non-governmental or non-profit organizations do not qualify for media accreditation.
• Freelance journalists, including photographers, must provide clear evidence they are on assignment from a specific news organization or publication. A valid assignment letter from that news organization, or publication, is required.

Note that double accreditation is not permitted (e.g. as press and delegate, or as press and NGO).   Press officers from delegations will need to register as part of their delegation and then contact franca.damico@un.org for information on how to access the press centre.

Once media accreditation is confirmed, press passes for the meetings, can be picked up at the registration counter onsite upon presentation of two forms of photo ID (passport, official national press pass, driver’s license, work ID, etc.) or of a photo press pass from the United Nations in New York, Paris, Geneva, Vienna, or Nairobi.  

Please also note that journalists accredited to cover the meetings should make their own travel and hotel bookings. 

Note as well that access to the Blue Zone is subject to further restrictions depending on available space in the venue, and security provisions that can change without notice.  Information will be made available to all on-site journalists.

For press releases and other information, please contact:

Mr. David Ainsworth
Information Officer
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
413 St. Jacques Street, Suite 800
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 1N9, Canada
Fax: + 1-514-288-6588
E-mail: david.ainsworth@un.org

 For media accreditation requests and registration, please contact: 

    Ms. Franca D’Amico

    E-mail: Franca.damico@un.org

 Information regarding media guidelines and Press Conferences, and other relevant information will be made available on the CBD COP-16 and Host Country COP-16 website and shared by e-mail to accredited journalists. 

Medical facilities will be available at the venue for any emergencies.  The location and hours of operation of the medical services will be provided in due course.

Meeting room booking requests can be submitted directly to the focal point: Ms. Lisa Pedicelli (lisa.pedicelli@un.org).

• Meeting room requests may be accommodated for short periods of time, availability is best between 10AM-1PM and from 3PM-6PM as most rooms are used for many purpose.  Please note that there is little availability during peak times from 8AM-10AM and from 1PM-3PM. 
• Meeting room layouts are fixed and comply with the national safety regulations of the host country, therefore change of setup, removal or relocation of any furniture or equipment is strictly forbidden.
• Food and beverages are not permitted inside the meeting rooms as per the UN regulations.
• We encourage everyone to leave the rooms clean and tidy as they are used daily for many purposes.

The Secretariat, in its efforts to promote paper-less meetings and reduce the need to print in-session documents, has developed an events application that is available for download free of charge from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The app has the following icon in the stores.

The CBD Events Application (CBD-Events App) will enable participants will to access the calendar of events and follow any updated in real time. The app also features the download in-session documents to read them offline on their mobile devices.

The Second resumed sessions of COP-16, CP‑MOP-11 and NP‑MOP-5 delegates are invited to post their material online and encouraged to request it through the “Share your Content” tab on this  website on the issues being addressed at the meetings.  The announcements are placed on the virtual display table will convey brief information on the publications, information materials or events, and will bring the reader to the organization's own website from where the materials can be found or the event accessed.

See further details on the “Share your Content” tab above.

Nomination 

As set out in notification 2024-110, the resumed sessions of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (the “Meetings” hereinafter), will take place on 25-27 February 2025 at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Meetings will be preceded by regional preparatory consultations on 24 February 2025. 

Governments 

a) Nominations

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties, Governments should submit the designation of their representatives to attend the Meetings through an official letter of nomination addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, providing the names and contact details of their delegation, as well as the title of the meeting or meetings they wish to attend. The letter should be submitted to the Secretariat by e-mail to: secretariat@cbd.int, as soon as possible and preferably by 31 December 2024. 

In finalizing their delegations, Parties may wish to take into account the limited capacity of the venue and that formal sessions will take place in plenary format and no parallel negotiating sessions are envisaged. Moreover, no side-events or other parallel events are envisaged. It should also be noted that live streaming coverage of the resumed sessions will be made available through UN WebTV, in all six official UN languages.

b) Credentials

Participation in the in-person resumed sessions requires, consistent with rule 18 of the rules of procedure, the submission of credentials signed or issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or, in the case of a regional economic integration organization, by the competent authority of that organization. 

Parties that already submitted valid credentials for their representatives for participation in the Meetings held in Cali, Colombia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024, should confirm through a formal communication, such as a letter or a Note Verbale, issued by a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Party concerned, that these credentials remain valid.  Parties that were not present at the Meetings in Cali or those that were present but did not submit credentials or that wish to change their representatives, should submit credentials in accordance with rule 18 of the rules of procedure if they wish to participate in taking decisions at the resumed sessions of the Meetings.  Model templates for credentials are available here.

To ensure an orderly preparation of the meetings, and in view of rule 30 of the rules of procedure that a minimum of two-thirds of the Parties must be present at the resumed sessions, with valid credentials, in order for decisions to be taken, Parties are invited to submit their credentials well in advance of the Meetings and preferably not later than 31 December 2024. 

 Observer organizations

a) Nominations 

Observer organizations admitted to participate in the Meetings in Cali, Colombia, pursuant to rule 7 of the rules of procedure, will maintain their observer status at the resumed sessions of the Meetings. The list of admitted observers is contained in information documents CBD/COP/16/INF/39, CBD/CP/MOP/11/INF/5, CBD/NP/MOP/5/INF/3. 

Such organizations wishing to participate in the resumed sessions should designate their representatives to attend the Meetings through an official letter of nomination addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, providing the names and contact details of their representatives. The letter should be submitted to the Secretariat by e-mail to: secretariat@cbd.int, as soon as possible and preferably by 31 December 2024. 

In considering their participation and their representatives, organizations are advised to take into account the advanced stage of negotiations (consideration of L documents in plenary), the limited capacity of the venue and that no side-events or other parallel events are envisaged during the resumed sessions of the Meetings.  In the event of very high registration numbers, the Secretariat may put in place measures to ensure the capacity of the venue is not exceeded. It should also be noted that live streaming coverage of the resumed sessions will be made available through UN WebTV, in all six official UN languages.

Information will be provided in due course.

Please note that there will be no side-events at the Second resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP-MOP-5.

To assist with the interpretation process, delegates wishing to make interventions during official sessions of the Meetings are strongly urged to upload their statement at least 1 hour in advance of delivery.

The statement should include the following information in its header and filename:

1. Party/organization name;
2. Identify session of intervention: Plenary (these are the only meeting sessions where statements are permitted);
3. Date and time of intervention;
4. Agenda item number.

Statement uploading

Please select the meeting from the Second resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP-MOP-5 home page https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2024 , select where the meeting to which your statement is applicable.

Click on the “upload statements” tab

You may upload your statement in several languages and if necessary, revised statements.  Please upload each file separately.

When Parties are submitting a Regional Statement, please check the box ‘Regional Group’ statement, then select your region in the drop-down menu.

The time zone in Rome is CET (Central European Time) which is equivalent to GMT/UTC +1 hour. 

More information can be found at the following link:  https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=201 

The venue of the Second Resumed sessions of COP-16, CP-MOP-11 and NP-MOP-5:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO Headquarters)
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome, Italy
Telephone: (+39) 06 57051
Fax: (+39) 06 570 53152
E-mail:  FAO-HQ@fao.org
Website:  http://www.fao.org/home/en/
 

Participants from countries requiring a visa for Italy must obtain a Schengen visa and are strongly advised to contact the nearest Italian diplomatic or consular mission as soon as possible in order to secure the required entry visa in a timely manner, prior to departure.  Please note that airline companies will not allow boarding in the absence of a valid visa.

To verify if you need a visa, please visit the website of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation webpage and complete the questions at the following link:  https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en 

Once you have responded to the questions, and if you need a visa, the system will provide a list of visa requirements (below) and the contact information of the Embassy where to present your visa request.

Visa requirements are listed as follows:
• Entry visa application form (on-line once you completed questions),
• Recent passport-size photograph,
• Valid travel documents whose expiry date is three months longer than that of the visa requested,
• Return ticket (or booking) or evidence that the applicant has their own means of transport,
• A copy of the Priority Pass (confirmation of pre-registration) issued by the Secretariat.

To facilitate the issuance of visas, the Secretariat will issue visa assistance letters to participants upon request, to be attached to the visa application.  

In February, daily average temperatures in Rome range between 3°C and 13°C , we recommend a warm jacket for cool temperatures.