Financial Secretary Henry Tang says the Government will step up publicity to keep the public abreast of the security and transport arrangements during the WTO Sixth Ministerial Conference.

Up to now, public education and publicity on the conference has cost around $4 million.

Mr Tang today told lawmakers that government organisations will organise press conferences as the start date of the conference approaches to explain the arrangements in detail. A publicity pamphlet will also be widely distributed.

Conference transparency enhanced

To facilitate non-governmental organisations' participation in the conference and the media's reporting on the negotiation progress, a well-equipped NGO Centre and Press Centre will be set up in the Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The Government and the WTO Secretariat are discussing measures to disseminate information on the negotiations' progress to NGOs and the media on a daily basis to increase the conference's transparency.

As the conference host, Hong Kong will ensure that developing country groupings like the G20, G33 and G90 will have a strong representation in the conference, and that different groupings' coordinators will be properly represented in the many small-group meetings.

Conference facilitators appointment

Mr Tang said Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology John Tsang will make a decision on the appointment of conference facilitators, in consultation with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy in the next two to three weeks.