- How do I register and make payment for the Conference? Can I pay in person or online?
All attendees must register in advance for the MIC conference. We only have credit card registrations through our secure gateway setups. Attendees can pay with Paypal or Clarity Payments.
- Who can participate at the High- Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries in Costa Rica?
All middle-income countries will be invited to the conference. In particular:
• Participants at the high-level segment are expected to be at the ministerial level.
• Participants in the thematic open dialogues and briefings are expected to be at the senior policy-making level and their diplomatic representatives in New York and Vienna.
National delegation leaders will be invited to address the plenary with a speech during the opening session (Heads of State and Government, Ministers or Vice Ministers) or during the subsequent plenary sessions (State Secretaries, Directors General, Directors or Ambassadors).
Experts from relevant international organizations or other relevant institutions will be invited to contribute to the deliberations of the informal consultations on a thematic basis.
- How many countries will participate?
158 countries have been invited to the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries and a growing number of countries are confirming their participation on a daily basis. So far 92 countries have been taking part in the preparatory events in Vienna, New York, Washington D.C. and Geneva, and the final number of participating countries is expected to be at around 90-100.
- Are only middle- income countries invited to participate? What will be the role of the other countries?
Non-MICs are invited as observers in all sessions. In some side events, officials of Non-MICs may be invited to address the conference.
Low- income countries (LICs) that wish to attend the meeting as observers should contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica with an application for participation. In some cases, LIC officials may be invited to address the conference at specific side events.
- What will be the Role of the Civil Society?
Regarding the private sector, we are currently working on an “industry leader’s roundtable” during the conference and we will get back with more information once this is conceptualized.
Civil society is welcome to attend the meeting as observers. CSOs should be officially accredited to UNIDO or ECOSOC. In some cases, CSO officials may be invited to address the conference at specific side events.
- Why is your Country’s participation important?
The participation of your Government, along with other Governments from the region, will bring a distinctly (regional) point of view to the deliberations at the conference. It will also help fostering the formation of “Networks for Prosperity”, that advance peace, security and well-being for all peoples – the values and principles upheld by you Government and his Ambassadors in the field of foreign affairs would be a unique contribution in this context.
- Is it necessary to be enrolled with the preparatory event in order to participate in the Conference?
It is not necessary that the same person attends the preparatory meetings in Vienna, New York, Washington D.C. and Geneva as well as the conference in San José – indeed we understand that this cannot be expected due to overall travel restrictions.
The reason why the UN was chosen as place for the preparatory consultations is linked to the diplomatic presence of most countries in these cities. However, in order to ensure a viable outcome from the conference, we would advise participating country delegations to coordinate with the diplomatic missions in Vienna and New York, which are participating in the preparatory events.
- Is there already a set agenda?
Please find the tentative conference agenda here.
- How is the Conference preparation organized?
The preparatory meetings and open dialogues take place in Vienna, New York, Washington D.C. and Geneva; the relevant working papers will also be posted on the website and can be found here. A summary of proceedings, recommendations and findings will be uploaded after each session.
- Regarding financial means:
Unfortunately, we do not have the financial means for subsidizing the travel of national delegations per se.
- What is the initiative Networks for Prosperity about?
Networks for Prosperity aims to connect and share the knowledge and various expert views UNIDO has allocated by creating a global management system for the development of the private sector. It encourages existing networks to improve their performance through better understanding the complex managerial and developmental options in network governance, and inspires new networks where no suitable existing platform for exchanging knowledge exists.
- Why networks?
Networks are an important means for developing countries to exchange knowledge and speed their economic development. By working through an integrated and networked approach, multilateral stakeholders, national and local governments as well as private entities are better equipped to approach development processes in a more effective, inclusive and transparent way.
- What is the Connectedness Index?
The Connectedness Index was established by the Networks for Prosperity initiative in 2011 for 132 countries. It measures countries’ knowledge networks and links their level of connectedness with economic development indicators. To determine the Connectedness Index, the report took into account international, inter-organizational and intra-organizational networks established by each country. Initial findings through the Connectedness Index are clear: networks matter for development effectiveness.
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