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African Development Forum III - Defining Priorities for Regional Integration |
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Home > About ADF III > General InfoINFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS Dear participants, Welcome to Addis Ababa and to the third African Development Forum (ADF III), which is being held from 3 to 8 March 2002 at the Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The forum is a joint initiative by ECA and the Organization of African Unity to position an African-driven development agenda that reflects a consensus and commitment by African leaders to create the African Union. ADF III will address this challenge to Africa with all the more demanding body by the far-reaching change occurring in the global economy. Below is general information on meeting arrangements and on Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, that you may find useful. If you have any questions or if there is any way that we can be of assistance, do not hesitate to contact the ADF III Secretariat (E-mail: adf@uneca.org, phone : (251-1) 445 227 or 443 700 or 445 347 Fax : (251-1) 51 65 13 or 516 563).
General
Registration and identification badges
Documents Participants will get copies of the documents for the Forum at the time of registration. Documents that participants wish to circulate should be handed to the Secretariat. Participants are also advised to consult with the Secretariat on any matter pertaining to the issuance or distribution of documents at the Forum. Immigration requirements Visas are required for all visitors/delegates travelling to Ethiopia, except for nationals of Djibouti and Kenya. Visitors from countries that have Ethiopian diplomatic missions are required by the Ethiopian immigration authorities to secure their visas from those missions. Delegates from such countries must obtain a visa through them before departure. If your country does not have an Ethiopian diplomatic mission, ECA will assist you in obtaining a visa upon arrival. You should request visa assistance from ECA well in advance, as it generally takes at least one week to process visa applications and obtain the approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration authorities. Please forward your passport details and flight information to the ADF Secretariat (Email: adf@uneca.org, Fax No. : 251 1 51 65 13 or 51 65 63). Please note that an Ethiopian visa costs between birr 160 – 480 (US$20-60) per person depending on your nationality and payment must be made at the time of issue. Holders of diplomatic and service passports as well as United Nations Laissez-Passer will receive visas gratis. Expenses incurred in connection with visa requirements are paid in local currency obtainable from the Ethiopian Commercial Bank at Bole International Airport. Bank receipts for money changed at the airport must be kept securely as they may be asked for on departure. The airport tax on departure from Bole International Airport is US$20.00 and is payable in cash US dollars. Health requirements Addis Ababa is generally a safe city. However, the same precautions should be followed as in any other large city. Please remember that the altitude of Addis Ababa is 2,400 metres above sea level (higher than Mexico City). Prior to entry, visitors to Ethiopia should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in the country. The United Nations Health Centre, situated on the ground floor of the Conference Centre, provides emergency medical services to participants/delegates attending meetings, during working hours. In case of a medical or dental emergency, please contact the following:
Currency/Banks All foreign currency in your possession should be declared on the blue currency declaration form upon arrival at Bole International Airport. There is no limit on how much you can bring into the country. Ethiopian currency is denominated in « birr » and « centimes ». The bank rate of exchange varies. The UN official exchange rate as of 1 January 2002 was $ US1: 00 = Birr 8.558. There is a branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the ECA Rotunda Building. This Bank is open Monday – Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. and from 2 :00 p.m. 4 :00 p.m. There is also an authorized exchange centre (Forex) at the Sheraton Hotel and at the Hilton Hotel. All major hotels are authorized foreign exchange centres. Currency changed into birr at the Commercial Bank can be reconverted into US$, if necessary, only at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the ECA Rotunda Building. Credit Cards Credit cards such as Visa, Master, American Express, Euro and Delta are accepted only by a limited number of hotels, these are: the Sheraton and the Hilton (all cards), Ghion hotel (Visa, Master and American Express), Axum, Ras Amba, Imperial, ILRI, Queen of Sheba, Meridien, and Yordanos hotels accept only Visa and Master Cards. The rest of available hotels in Addis operate solely on a cash basis. Airlines reservations A number of international airlines operate regular services to and from Addis Ababa. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that participants secure their return/onward air passage prior to their arrival. There will be a travel desk in the UNCC-AA manned by one of the travel agent contracted to ECA to reconfirm your tickets and to provide delegates with travel/tour-related information. Please take your tickets with you when you visit the travel agent. Delegates may also book optional sightseeing tours and post-conference tours at the travel desk. Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have offices in the ECA Rotunda, and 3 Travel Agencies (Express Travel, Gashem Travel and Safeway Travel) are located on the first floor of the New Building.
General information about Ethiopia Ethiopia is as large as France and Spain combined and has an area of 1,112,.000 square metres. Addis Ababa is situated at an altitude of 2,400 metres. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy, and the principal exports from this sector include coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and animal feed. About 90% of the population earn its living from the land. There is also a thriving livestock sector, and exports include cattle and hides and skins. The population of Ethiopia is estimated at 60 million, and over 50% of the population is under 20 years of age. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometre is 49. Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of spoken languages. There are eighty-three languages with 200 dialects, and the three main languages are Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna. English, French, Italian and Arabic are also spoken, mainly in Addis Ababa. Additional information on Ethiopia and ECA can be found on the following websites:
Hotel accommodation Arrangements have been made by ECA to assist participants for accommodation bookings at their expense in various hotels provided they forward their request to the ADF III Secretariat at least 2 weeks prior to their arrival. Please browse through the site http://www.uneca.org/adfiii/hotels.htm for complete and detailed information on hotels available in Addis Ababa. Reception on arrival Provided that advance notice is given, participants will be met on arrival at Bole International Airport and will be assisted with the formalities regarding immigration and customs, etc. Consequently, expected date and time of arrival in Addis Ababa with flight details should be sent as soon as possible to the address specified. Any subsequent changes should also be similarly transmitted. Transport You will arrive at Bole International Airport, which is located just 5 kilometres from the centre of Addis Ababa. Please note that only those participants who have provided advance information to ECA of their flight number, arrival date and time of arrival will be met at the Airport and have bus transportation to their hotel provided. If you would like transportation from the airport to your hotel, please advise us (by fax or e-mail) of your travel details at least one week in advance at: ADF III Secretariat, ECA Fax + 251-1 51 65 63 or 51 65 13. E-mail: adf@uneca.org. Transportation will be provided to the airport by the hotel. Therefore, participants should notify the respective hotels of their departure (time and date) 24 hours in advance so that they can make the necessary arrangements. ECA buses will ferry participants back and forth from the hotels to the conference venue in the mornings and at the end of the daily sessions. If you want to walk to ECA, your badge (provided to you at registration) will gain you entry to the ECA compound. ECA will not provide transport during lunch break. If you would like transportation in Addis Ababa outside of conference starting and closing hours, you can book a taxi from the National Tourism Organization (NTO) by calling + 251-1-15 18 22 or + 251-1-51 84 00, or take the yellow or blue taxis parked outside your hotel. These taxis will take you most places in Addis for about birr 20, and can be hired at a negotiated rate for longer and special destinations, by the hour. It is also standard practice in Addis Ababa to wave down any free blue or yellow taxi and offer the driver a « contract » for a single journey. « Contract » taxis can be found at the entrance to ECA and most hotels.
Telecommunications (telephone/fax) and Post Office Telephone service in Addis Ababa is generally quite good. Pay phones on the street or at the airport require two ten-centime coins. The Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority maintains an office in the Rotunda of ECA compound, where you can make international telephone calls and send faxes and telexes. There is a full-service post office located at the entrance to the Rotunda of the ECA compound. It is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and then from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Duty-free shop Your « delegate » badge to the conference entitles you to make duty-free purchases (including cigarettes) in the duty-free shop located in the Rotunda of Africa Hall, across from Kenya Airways and the Post Office. This same facility is available in the Hilton and Ghion Hotels. Purchases must be made in convertible currency, preferably $US cash or by travellers’ cheque. Catering
For Additional Information If you require any additional information, regarding substantive issues on ADF III please contact:
For any other issues regarding Protocol, Logistics and Finance, please contact:
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3 - 8 March 2002, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
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© 2001 Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) For questions regarding this web site contact the webmaster Last updated: March 05, 2002 10:25 . |
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