Practical information for the OECD Global Forum on Competition

2012 Global Forum on Global Competition home page 

Venue, access and hotels   The Global Forum on Competition will be held at the                        OECD Conference Centre                        2, rue André Pascal                       75016 Paris, France                     ( +33 (0)1 45 24 82 00   Further information about this venue, including maps, directions and hotels in the area, is available on the Conference Centre website.

Registration ½ Documentation ½ Seating arrangements 
Working methods ½ Press ½ Visas ½ Other

Registration

Forum participation is by invitation only. It is restricted to government representatives, intergovernmental organisations and regional banks as well as selected invitees. No financial support is available for participant’s travel to and stay in Paris and registration is mandatory. For OECD non-members, registration should be done as soon as possible by email or fax. Members should register as usual through their Permanent Delegations in Paris.

When you arrive at the OECD Centre with your registration form, you will need to present an identity card or passport to obtain your Forum badge. Badges will be delivered at the Welcome Desk upon arrival. The desk will open at 8.00am on Thursday 16 February 2012. Given the high number of participants, you should allow a minimum of 30-45 minutes for the registration. The GFC will start at 9 am sharp and you should plan to be seated in the room behind your plate at least 5 minutes before the start. Late arrivals in the meeting room will not be allowed during the speech of the OECD Secretary General.

Documentation

The Global Forum on Competition website (http://www.oecd.org/competition/globalforum) will be our vehicle for conveying general information and documentation. Unless explicitly requested not to do so, we will reproduce written contributions on the site. GFC participants will find the background documentation and the agenda on their table upon their arrival in Room 1 where the Forum will take place. In a bid to be environmentally friendly, we will not circulate paper copies of the numerous country contributions. Please bring your own copies with you. Participants will also be able to access them on their personal computers through the OECD’s WiFi access in the room.

Seating arrangements

Participants will be seated behind their country/economy plate in French alphabetical order, followed by international organisations and selected invitees from business and civil society. Given the large number of delegations represented at the Forum, access to seats equipped with a microphone is limited. In principle, each delegation will have a minimum of one seat with a microphone. For countries with large delegations, the allocation of more seats equipped with a microphone will be considered. Such allocation will be made according to registrations on a first come, first served basis. A number of seats without a microphone will also be available in the rear of the room.

Breakout sessions

For the discussion on “Competition and Commodity Price Volatility” on Thursday 16 February, three breakout sessions are organised in addition to the Plenary session to allow a more informal and lively dialogue among fewer participants. Allocation to the three meeting rooms will be done according to the French alphabetical order. The aim of the breakout sessions is to allow for discussion of country experiences with law enforcement and advocacy in the commodity sector. Participants are kindly invited to observe the timing and return to the Plenary session immediately after the breakout sessions. The chairs of the three sessions will report to the Plenary on the discussions in their respective session and a number of countries/ economies will be called to describe in a few minutes experiences of particular interest to all participants.

Working methods

Discussions will be held in the two OECD official languages (English and French), with simultaneous interpretation. The Chairman (and Session Chairs where relevant) will use traffic lights to regulate the timing of interventions. The high number of participants means that participants will need to be disciplined in their interventions in order to allow as many delegates as possible to have the opportunity to speak.

Interventions should be as concise as possible, and each intervention will be limited to a maximum of three minutes. Time constraints may not permit the presentation of the numerous written contributions. Countries who have contributed in writing (in response to the two calls prepared by the OECD Secretariat) will be notified in advance if the session’s Chair intends to call upon them to make brief comments on specific points from their written contributions. We will do our best to warn those concerned as soon as feasible, but the late receipt of some country contributions often delays this process. Consequently, countries may not be notified until a few days before or even, on the eve or on the first day of the Forum. Please carefully check your emails on those days since this will be the only way to communicate efficiently with you. The Secretariat will inform the speakers scheduled on the agenda of the time allocated to them. They are kindly invited to keep their presentations strictly within the indicated limits. This should allow for periods of general discussion long enough to encourage lively exchanges among participants. 

Press

Journalists will be present in the GFC Plenary Room during the Opening Session.

Visas

European Union citizens do not need a visa to stay in France. For others, depending on your nationality, the length and purpose of your stay in France, a visa may be required before departure. For further information, please consult the French Foreign Affairs Ministry website.

Please note that the OECD cannot organise a visa on your behalf and that there are long deadlines to get visas in some countries.  A personalised invitation letter can be provided for the purpose of getting a visa if necessary. 

General information