XVIII
THE BLUE BOOK
Twice a year the Protocol and Liaison Service publishes for information purposes a book entitled "Permanent Missions to the United Nations", known as the "Blue Book". In this publication the permanent missions are listed with their addresses, telephone and telefax numbers, e-mail addresses, dates of national holidays, language of correspondence as well as the names, diplomatic ranks and functional titles, forms of address, titles, etc., of all members of their diplomatic personnel and their spouses. Observer missions and specialized agencies are also listed in the Blue Book. The listings relating to the permanent/observer missions and specialized agencies are based on information communicated to the Protocol and Liaison Service by the missions and their publication is intended for the use of delegations and the Secretariat. In order for the listings to be accurate, the names, form of address, diplomatic rank and functional titles of the diplomats should be written according to the wishes of the mission concerned and in conformity with the established norms of the United Nations. A weekly addendum to the "Blue Book" reflects interim movements of diplomatic personnel.
XIX
OFFICIAL VISITS OF DIGNITARIES TO UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
Permanent Representatives are requested to inform the Chief of Protocol, at the earliest possible date, of official visits which their Heads of State or Government, Crown Princes and Vice-Presidents intend to pay to United Nations Headquarters, so that a programme of the visit can be prepared and the necessary arrangements made to ensure the successful outcome of the visit.
When the date and time of the visit have been fixed, the Chief of Protocol will draw up a programme in which all the details will be included. After confirming the programme with the delegation concerned, the Chief of Protocol will then convene a meeting with all Secretariat staff involved with the visit.
The Chief of Protocol will receive the dignitary upon his/her arrival at the United Nations Headquarters.
The permanent missions should inform the Protocol and Liaison Service in writing as early as possible of the following:
(a) The dates of arrival and departure to and from New York of Heads of State or Government, Vice-Presidents and Crown Princes;
(b) If accompanied by a spouse, the complete name of the spouse as well as his/her length of stay, should it be different from the principal;
(c) The date and time of a planned visit to United Nations Headquarters, and the date scheduled to address the General Assembly or any other United Nations organ;
(d) A list of officials accompanying the dignitary to the United Nations with their names and functional titles.
When a Head of State or Government visits the Secretary-General, the Chief of Protocol will greet the Head of State as he/she alights from his/her car and will escort him/her to the office of the Secretary-General.
At the end of the meeting, the Secretary-General will bid farewell to the Head of State or Government. The Chief of Protocol will escort the Head of State or Government either to the General Assembly Hall or to any other designated place.
XX
OFFICIAL MOURNING
Whenever the Secretary-General of the United Nations proclaims that the United Nations is in official mourning, the United Nations flag, wherever displayed, will be flown at half-mast during the period of official mourning.
In the event of the death of a Head of State or Government of a Member State, after the official communication has been received by the Chief of Protocol, the United Nations flag will be flown at half-mast, in accordance with the United Nations Flag Code and Regulations. No other flags wil be flown at that time. If the communication is received after 7:00 a.m., the United Nations flag will be flown at half-mast the following day or on the day of the official funeral, in compliance with the preference of the Government concerned.
Pursuant to the relevant regulations, the United Nations flag may also be flown at half-mast on the special instruction of the Secretary-General.
XXI
special arrangements for general assembly sessions
Each mission is requested to provide as early as possible a complete list and the credentials of its delegation to the General Assembly. Credentials are to be signed either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The delegation of a Member shall consist of not more than five representatives and five alternate representatives and as many advisers, technical advisers and experts as may be required by the delegation (rule 25 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly). If the chairperson of a delegation is either the Head of State or Government, Vice-President or Crown Prince, he/she is considered as the chairperson ex officio while present in New York and is not counted as one of the five representatives. They are always the first person mentioned in the list of the delegation.
The list of delegates provided by each mission should reflect the exact names of the delegates and their diplomatic ranks (ambassador, counsellor, etc.) and functional titles (representative, alternate representative, special adviser, adviser or expert).
A request for special tickets to the General Assembly Hall, especially during the general debate, for the personal guests of the head of delegation should be forwarded to the Chief of Protocol indicating the name of the guest and his/her designation. It is of the utmost importance to include the names of the spouses of high dignitaries to be present during the statement. The availability of the guest tickets will be restricted depending on the occasion and the availability of seats. During the general debate, seating in the VIP section of the General Assembly Hall, and the blue seats in the rear and balcony seating in the Hall are reserved for the use of delegations addressing the General Assembly at that time. Requests for guest tickets should be made as early as possible, as availability of seating is limited.
XXII
use of the dag hammarskjold auditorium
As a United Nations facility, the Auditorium is put at the disposal, first, of United Nations organs, then the Secretariat and the permanent/observer missions of Member States. The use of the Auditorium is restricted to purposes that may be characterized as United Nations purposes, that are of positive value, either directly to the United Nations or to a particular objective or programme endorsed by the Organization.
Any shows, film showings, lectures or seminars sponsored by the permanent/observer missions are to be of a cultural or artistic nature and without any political connotation that could be offensive to any Member State.
XXIII
united nations garage parking decals
Diplomatic personnel of permanent missions in possession of vehicles with United Nations diplomatic license plates ("D" plates) are entitled to special vehicle identification decals permitting them to enter and to park their vehicles at Headquarters.
Identification decals for vehicles with diplomatic plates are issued for a period of 12 months and are renewed before the commencement of each regular session of the General Assembly.
Applications for decals of vehicles registered to the individual delegates of permanent missions should be submitted to the Protocol and Liaison Service (Room S-201) with the required attachment of valid vehicle registration and current United Nations identification. After certification by the Protocol and Liaison Service, the application should be hand carried to the Garage Administration (Room GA-007) for processing. Applications for vehicles registered to the mission should be submitted in bulk directly to the Garage Administration Office attaching the valid vehicle registration. All applications must have an authorized mission signature accompanied by the mission seal. Only one decal will be issued per delegate for use on a vehicle with D plates. Decals will be issued only to members of delegations duly accredited to the United Nations.
Applications for temporary identification decals to admit vehicles rented from established and bona fide companies for the use of visiting dignitaries officially attending meetings during the session must be certified by the Protocol and Liaison Service (Room S-0201). The application and a copy of the rental agreement should then be submitted to the Special Services Unit (Room S-0101) for clearance prior to submission to the Garage Administration for issuance. Delegations will be provided with a drop-off/pick-up decal only with no parking privileges. These temporary decals have an expiry date and must be surrendered to Garage Administration (Room GA-007) upon the expiration date.
Applications for decals from observer missions, intergovernmental organizations and other entities with observer status, listed in sections III, IV and V of the Blue Book , must be submitted to the Protocol and Liaison Service and thereafter to the Garage Administration for appropriate action. The issuance of parking decals to observer missions, intergovernmental organizations and other entities will be limited to persons enjoying diplomatic status.
Parking decals must be displayed prominently and be clearly visible to security officers and Garage Administration staff at entry points and while the vehicles are on the premises.
Prior to the issuance of decals for the new General Assembly session, all previously issued decals to delegations must be returned to the Garage Administration (Room GA-007). Also, decals belonging to delegates who are departing from Headquarters must be returned to the Garage Administration office prior to their departure. Diplomatic license plates should be returned directly to the Office of Foreign Missions, 866 UN Plaza, Suite 265, New York, N.Y. 10017, and indicated on the departure form (SG.8) submitted to the United Nations Protocol. Any changes in vehicle usage must be reflected on the respective decals and as such should be brought to the Garage Administration for processing.
All these measures are taken in order to facilitate United Nations security control and to ensure the safety and convenience of the diplomatic community.