Information for Journalists

(Tentative—More information to follow)

** IMPORTANT NOTICE ** Once your online application for press registration is cleared, you will receive an official confirmation letter by e-mail from the Joint Secretariat. Please print the letter and bring the printout to the Annual Meetings press registration when you pick up your press badge. See more under Visas and Press Credentials Pick-up >

Press Registration Requirements
Online Press Registration
Visa Requirements
Press Credentials Pick-Up
Press Room Arrangements
Program of Seminars
Interview Requests
Photo Opportunities for TV and Still Photos
Availability of Still Photos and Video Clips
Satellite Feeds
Hotels
Official Events
Press Conferences
Contact Information

Press Registration Requirements

All working press must have Annual Meetings credentials to attend the meetings.

To be accredited, you must present one of the following:

1. Valid press credentials issued by national governments or authorities;
   
   OR
   
   
2. Clear evidence that you are on assignment from a specific news organization or publication. This applies to all freelancers, including photographers. A valid assignment letter from that news organization, or publication, is required. Photographic agencies must provide clear evidence from a client news organization or publication.

Submissions should be sent to:

Press Registration
Email: press@imf.org
Fax: +1 202 623-4004

If such credentials are not held, or are in question, it will be at the discretion of the IMF and World Bank to determine whether access to the Annual Meetings is granted.

Online Press Registration

Journalists who meet the requirements above should register on-line. Online press accreditation for the 2012 Annual Meetings is available here (https://www-amsweb-ext.imf.org/press-ext/reg.aspx).

Registration for press credentials will close on October 12, 2012. For queries on registration, please contact media@imf.org, or call +1 202 623-7100.

The IMF or World Bank will not be responsible for journalists' travel costs and/or other expenses.

Press Registration Request >

Visa Requirements

All participants, except the nationals of countries and areas with visa exemption, require a visa to enter Japan. A visa application form along with photos, a valid passport, and confirmation letter must be submitted to Japanese embassies or consulates to obtain a visa. Participants are strongly advised to apply for visas at least one or two weeks prior to departure. For more information on visas, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html.

Press Credentials Pick-Up

Journalists who have been approved for accreditation can pick up Annual Meetings press credentials starting at 8:00 a.m. on Monday October 8, 2012, at the Press Registration Desk, located at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI).

Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI)
Address:3-2-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0005
Phone: +81-3-3283-7523
Map view of TCCI >

All journalists are required to present press badge/identification, photo identification, and the official confirmation letter that will be emailed to journalists after their online accreditation requests get cleared.

Registration will be open according to the following schedule, subject to change:

• Monday, October 8: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
• Tuesday, October 9: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Wednesday, October 10: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
• Thursday, October 11: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
• Friday, October 12: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
• Saturday, October 13: 6:30 am - 7:30 pm
• Sunday, October 14: 7:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Annual Meetings press credentials grant access to the Press Room, press conferences, the Program of Seminars, and the Plenary of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Boards of Governors.

Press Room Arrangements

The press room is located in the Tokyo International Forum, 5-1 Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. It will open on October 8, and close in the evening of Sunday, October 14.

Technicians for financial news wires and other accredited news organizations may arrange for advanced access to the press room starting at 8:00 a.m. on October 8, through special arrangements. All media personnel, including technical staff, need to have Annual Meetings credentials to enter the venue.

The press room has limited space, and operates on a first come, first-served basis. Computers are not provided to journalists. However, internet kiosks will be available in the press room. The Internet kiosks allow easy access to the IMF web site and the World Bank Group web site. The web sites will have links to a joint Annual Meetings' site containing the schedule of press events, as well as transcripts, news releases, and other information as it becomes available.

Program of Seminars

The program of seminars is open to all accredited participants and the media on a first-come-first-served basis. For “BBC World Debate – Rescuing the Global Economy: What needs to be done?” other broadcasters’ TV cameras will not be allowed in the room during the broadcast itself.” Clips of the broadcast can be taken off-air and used by other broadcasters. If clips are used by broadcasters they should not be internally edited and they should be accompanied by the on screen credit; "BBC World News". The entire World Debate will also available on the BBC's website and on IMF's website and the Program of Seminars website in due course.

Note: Doors will close 15 minutes prior to the event.

Interview Requests

The IMF and World Bank media relations divisions handle requests for interviews with IMF and World Bank officials during the Meetings. However, the press officers do not service interview requests for official delegations to the Meetings. Those requests must be made directly to the delegations.

TV and Still Photo Opportunities

There will be photo opportunities at the start of ministerial committee meetings (e.g. International Monetary and Financial Committee and Development Committee), which will be pooled.

Availability of Still Photos and Video Clips

A selection of still photos in high resolution will be available after each event on the Annual Meetings web site and Flickr sites, www.flickr.com/photos/imfphoto (IMF) and www.flickr.com/worldbank (World Bank).

Broadcast quality video clips of selected press conferences including IMF events will be available for downloading at www.thenewsmarket.com. For inquiries contact Jennifer Beckman at the IMF on (202) 623-7165 or jbeckman@imf.org

For World Bank events, broadcast quality clips will be available for download at www.un.org/unifeed and on our World Bank FTP Server. For inquiries contact Mehreen Sheikh at the World Bank on (202) 458 7336 or msheikh1@worldbank.org.

Satellite Feeds

Live positions (to be requested by each user) can be booked inside the Toyko International Forum (TIF) and at the Imperial Hotel through the IMF / World Bank Press offices and accessed through local ends via KDDI (Up-Link booking (Optical Fiber/Satellite) from KDDI (Tokyo).

There will be no space for satellite truck parking at the TIF, Imperial Hotel, and Hotel Okura. LiveU is also not permitted inside the TIF because of potential interference with wireless networks. LiveU can be used outside the TIF.

For further information about host broadcaster NHKi's facility and bookings, visit: http://2012imf-wb-ibc.com/en/index.html

All broadcast personnel (including technicians, etc.) will need to have Annual Meetings press credentials in order to access the venues. Please submit applications for press credentials online at: https://www-amsweb-ext.imf.org/press-ext/reg.aspx.

Hotels

The Joint Secretariat (JS) has reserved an inventory of hotel rooms for the upcoming 2012 Annual Meetings. Hotel bookings may be made to accommodate journalists through our booking site. Please note that a confirmed hotel reservation does not guarantee successful accreditation at the Annual Meetings.

Book your hotel >

Official Events

Except for brief photo-opportunities at the start of committee meetings, press cannot attend those meetings. However, the Plenary sessions of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and World Bank Group are open to the press.

Please see 2012 Annual Meeting schedule for date and timing of photo-opportunities for the following official meetings:

• International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF's Board of Governors.
  Pooled event: NHKi will serve as the Japanese video pool and play out video at the TIF following the photo-op. Photographers interested in a photo pool should email Keiko Utsunomiya at kutsunomiya@imf.org.
• The Development Committee, known officially as the Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors of the Bank and the Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries.
  Pooled event: NHKi will serve as the Japanese video pool and play out video at the TIF following the photo-op. Photographers interested in a photo pool should email at Alexis O'Brien aobrien@worldbank.org
• The Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the Group of Twenty major industrialized countries.

Press Conferences

A schedule of the press conferences is posted and will be updated throughout the Meetings. Transcripts of all press briefings will be posted on the external web sites of the IMF and World Bank Group as soon as possible. Most briefings will also be web cast live.

Online IMF Press Center

The IMF online Press Center offers advance access to embargoed IMF information. It is a password-protected site for working journalists only. Journalists are encouraged to register.

World Bank Online Media Briefing Center

The Media Briefing Center offers advance access to embargoed information of the World Bank. It is a password-protected site for working journalists only.

Contact Information

International Monetary Fund Press Office
Name	Contacts	Fax	E-mail
William Murray	+1 202 623-7064	+1 202 623-6772	wmurray@imf.org
Gita Bhatt	+1 202 623-7912	+1 202 623-6772	gbhatt@imf.org
Jennifer Beckman (Broadcast/Photos)	+1 202 623-7165	+1 202 623-6772	jbeckman@imf.org
World Bank Press Office
Name	Contacts	Fax	E-mail
David Theis	+1 202 458-8626	+1 202 522-2632	dtheis@worldbank.org
Saskia Stegeman	+1 202 473-4227	+1 202 522-2632	sstegeman@worldbank.org
Natalia Cieslik (Broadcast)	+1 202 458-9369	+1 202 522-2632	ncieslik@worldbank.org
Mehreen Sheikh (Broadcast)	+1 202 458-7336	+1 202 522-2632	msheikh1@worldbank.org