Briefwisseling houdende een verdrag tussen het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden en de Organisatie der Verenigde Naties voor Onderwijs, Wetenschap en Cultuur (UNESCO) betreffende de belangrijkste viering van de Internationale Dag van de Persvrijheid 2020, te ‘s-Gravenhage, Nederland, op 9 en 10 december 2020

The Meeting shall take place from 9 to 10 December 2020.
The main WPFD programme shall be hosted from the World Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands. Side-events for a select group of participants, that are still considered to be part of the main programme, may take place outside of the World Forum.

The responsibility for the technical and material organization of the Meeting shall be shared by the competent authorities of the Netherlands and UNESCO on the basis of the attached Statement of Requirements (see Annex).
However, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Parties from mutually agreeing to make such adjustments as may be desirable to ensure the proper organization of the Meeting. A Steering Committee has been set up to oversee the planning of the event.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall be responsible for providing, at its expense, such police protection and security as may be required to ensure the efficient functioning of all pre-session meetings, meetings and sessions of the main conferences and any other meetings linked to the event in which the project team is directly involved, in a calm and serene ambiance and without interference of any kind.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall designate a Senior Security Officer (SSO), who shall work in close coordination and cooperation, including at distance, with the senior security liaison officer and Event Security Coordinator (ESC) appointed by UNESCO for this purpose, so as to ensure a proper atmosphere of security and tranquility. The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall communicate the name of its Senior Security Offer (SSO) to UNESCO and UNESCO shall communicate the name of its Event Security Coordinator to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In accordance with the UNDSS Framework for Accountability, the UN Designated Official for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is responsible for the security of United Nations personnel, premises, and assets throughout the country and must be kept informed throughout the process. The name of the responsible officers for security shall be communicated to UNDSS by respectively the Host Country and UNESCO.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall apply, in all matters relating to this Meeting, the provisions of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations, as well as Annex IV thereto relative to UNESCO.
All persons entitled to participate in the meeting shall have the right of expeditious entry into and exit from the European part of the Netherlands. With this view, it is understood that no restrictions to the right of entering into, staying in and leaving the European part of the Netherlands may be put to any person entitled to participate in the meeting, irrespective of nationality.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shall facilitate the participants to obtain any required visas as expeditiously as possible, in accordance with relevant domestic and EU legislation and its obligations under the United Nations Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security.

As long as the premises reserved for the Meeting are at the disposal of UNESCO, the Kingdom of the Netherlands shall bear the risk of damage to the premises, facilities and furniture, and shall assume and bear all responsibility and liability for accidents that may occur to persons present therein. However, the Kingdom of the Netherlands shall not bear responsibility and liability for damages caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of the participants.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall adopt appropriate measures to ensure the protection, particularly against fire and other risks, of the above-mentioned premises, facilities, furniture and persons. It may also claim from UNESCO compensation for any damage to persons and property caused by the fault of staff members or agents of the Organization.

Any dispute concerning the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement shall be settled by negotiations or in accordance with any other procedure agreed upon by the Parties.
Any dispute not settled by negotiation or other agreed mode of settlement shall be submitted for final decision, at the request of either Party, to a tribunal of three arbitrators, one to be named by UNESCO, one to be named by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the third, who shall be the chairperson, to be chosen by the first two arbitrators. If either Party fails to appoint an arbitrator within 60 days of the appointment by the other Party, or if these two arbitrators should fail to consent on the third arbitrator within 60 days of their appointment or nomination of the second one of them, appoint the chairperson, the President of the International Court of Justice may make any necessary appointments at the request of either Party.

The Parties shall consult each other regarding the practical arrangements for the organization of the Meeting, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each Party may decide to postpone or to annul the Meeting, should the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitate such a decision. If a Party chooses to exercise this right, both Parties shall be released from any and all commitments related to the postponed or annulled Meeting under this Agreement and both Parties shall immediately consult with a view to limiting and equitably distributing reasonable costs associated with such a decision. In principle, each Party shall bear the costs that it has incurred in accordance with the distribution of costs set out in this Agreement and its Annex. Should the Parties decide to postpone the Meeting, the Parties will enter into a host country agreement for the purposes of the postponed meeting.
With respect to the implementation of Articles IV, second paragraph, and V, the prevailing circumstances related to COVID-19 pandemic shall be taken into account.
If the foregoing is acceptable to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I have the honour to propose that this letter and your Excellency’s letter in reply shall constitute an Agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and UNESCO regarding the hosting of this Meeting, which shall enter into force on the date of your reply and which shall remain in force for the duration of the Meeting and for such additional period as is necessary for its winding up. The total duration of this Agreement, however, shall not exceed one year.