| Information for Participants INTRODUCTION The Regional Preparatory Meeting of African Least Developed Countries for the Comprehensive Mid-Term Review of the Brussels Programme of Action will be held from 21 to 23 February 2006. The venue of the meeting will be the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa (UNCC-AA) at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). UNCC-AA is one of the largest and best equipped conference centers in Africa, hosting conferences for UN Institutions as well as selected Organizations, on a commercial basis. UNECA was established in 1958 to encourage economic cooperation among its member States. It is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations Headquarters. ECA has 53 member States, and reports to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Below is the pertinent general information on logistics and meeting arrangements that are needed to facilitate travel plans for conference participants. 1. IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS Visas are required for all visitors/conference delegates travelling to Ethiopia, except for nationals of Djibouti and Kenya. The Government of Ethiopia requires that visitors/conference delegates from countries with Ethiopian Diplomatic Missions secure their visas from those missions. These travelers include holders of diplomatic and service/official passports as well as the United Nations Laissez-Passer (LP). If the country involved does not have an Ethiopian Diplomatic Mission, ECA will assist in obtaining a business visa on arrival, provided the following particulars are received two weeks in advance. 1. Full name; 2. Nationality; 3. Passport details - (number, date of issue and expiry); and 4. Flight details (arrival and departure); 5. Port of embarkation. The Ethiopian Immigration Authority requires that an official letter of invitation be presented at the Airport Immigration Desk, for securing a business visa on arrival. Please note that an Ethiopian visa costs $US20.00 per person and payment must be made in US Dollars at the time of visa issue on arrival at the Airport Immigration Desk. Holders of Diplomatic and Service/Official passports as well as United Nations LPs will receive visas free of charge. Bank receipts for money changed must be kept securely as they may be requested upon departure. 2. HEALTH REQUIREMENTS 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 Care Centre (UNHCC), situated on the ground floor of UNCC provides 24-hour medical services against cash payment. In case of a medical or dental emergency, please call the reception desk at telephone numbers: 011-551 10 53 (24 hrs) If there is no response, please call Echo Operations, Tel. 011-551 17 26 (24 hrs)/544 55 02/ 544 35 48/544 31 35 Other Hospitals Swedish Clinic 011-371 70 68 St. Gabriel Hospital 011-661 36 22 Hayat Hospital 011-661 42 50 3. AIRLINE RESERVATIONS/TICKETING REQUIREMENTS Sponsored participants should collect their tickets and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) well in advance of their travel from the office from UNDP office in their respective countries, which is in charge of making the necessary arrangements in respect of travel and per diem Participants are strongly advised not to purchase their own tickets for any reason. Please note that you will not be reimbursed should you self-purchase a ticket without prior express written authority from the UNDP office. A number of International Airlines including Ethiopian, Lufthansa, British Airways, Yemen Airways, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air, KLM, etc. operate to and from Addis Ababa. It is required that participants secure their return/onward air passage prior to their arrival in Addis Ababa. There are travel agencies on site at ECA to assist with re-confirmation of tickets and to provide participants with travel- and tour-related information. Travel Agencies at ECA are reachable at the following telephone numbers:
Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways operate on-site offices in the ECA compound. These two airlines will also set up travel desks in the Conference Centre for the entire period of the meeting. The airline ticket must be available when visiting any of the travel desks to re-confirm flights. 4. SHIPPING/CUSTOMS CLEARANCE Conference participants and/or journalists coming to Addis Ababa with special equipment such as professional cameras, computers, exhibition equipment and materials should ensure that a list of these equipment, including model and serial numbers where applicable, are sent to the conference organizers. Equipment that is not cleared by the Ethiopian Customs Authority prior to their arrival may not be allowed into the country. 5. HOTEL ACCOMMODATION By request and preference, accommodation can be reserved at the following hotels provided ECA receives the requests at least 10 days before the visitor's arrival. In addition to accommodation costs, all participants are responsible for all additional costs, i.e. breakfast (where not included), telephone, Internet/fax, room service, mini-bar and laundry, additional meals, i.e. lunch and dinner, and must pay these directly to the hotel at checkout. · Rates are inclusive of breakfast, service charge and VAT unless where indicated · Rates are quoted on single-room and double-room basis.
Participants are kindly requested to refrain from changing assigned hotels. However, if they have genuine reason to do so, they should inform conference/meeting organizers. 6. RECEPTION ON ARRIVAL Participants will be met on arrival at Bole International Airport and assisted with the formalities regarding immigration, customs and transportation, provided flight details are received prior to arrival. Date and time of arrival in Addis Ababa with flight details should be sent to conference organizers as soon as possible. Subsequent flight changes should also be communicated 7. REGISTRATION Participants will be accredited and issued badges at the conference venue in UNCC-AA, 1st floor from 20 February, 2006. Please bring your invitation letter for ease of accreditation procedure. 8. ICT SERVICES A Cyber Café will be available to participants in the UNCC. In addition, UNCC and the ECA Compound are set up to provide Internet connectivity to WiFi enabled laptops and personal computers. Participants are welcome to take advantage of these services. IT technical support is available through the ECA Help Desk (Phone: +251-(0)11-544 31 23, e-mail: ihelpdesk@uneca.org) or extension 33113 once in the compound. Technical support for presentations must be arranged in advance. Please be advised that Blackberry services are not available in Ethiopia. 9. MOBILE PHONE SERVICES Participants are encouraged to come to Addis Ababa with their dual band mobile handsets (900/1800 MHZ). Ethiopian Telecommunication Company offers rental SIM Cards with pre-charged airtime. The total package, which costs $US 50.00 includes $US 12.00 airtime. Participants coming from the United States of America should kindly note that they can only use triband mobile handsets i.e. (900/1800/1900 MHZ). 10. FACILITIES AVAILABLE WITHIN THE ECA COMPOUND a) Food and beverages UNCC features a number of dining rooms and a Press Bar on its upper level (2nd floor).
Only Ethiopian currency (birr) is accepted at these facilities. Further catering facilities are available near the Nigeria Lounge, adjacent to the ECA Library and Security and Safety Main Office. These include:
*Please note that food is not allowed in the UNCC conference rooms and offices. The Rotunda, located in the Africa Hall building, also has several facilities such as Banks, a Duty Free Shop, a Coffee Bar, a Telecommunications Centre, Airline Offices, Postal Services, DHL, Travel Agencies, a Newspaper Stand, Photoshop, Super Market, Gift Shop, Souvenir Shop, Flower Shop, and the like. b) Public telephones Booths are located on the first and second floor of UNCC. c) UNCC Business Centre A fully equipped Business Centre on the first floor provides access to international telephone and fax service, simple straight photocopying (1 to 4 pages -maximum of 50 copies), computer workstations and Internet use at set charges to users. ECA has fully equipment reproduction facilities to reproduce major presentations. Please request the designated Conference coordinator for these services. 11. 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 68 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 at: http://www.uneca.org as well as at http://www.telecom.net.et or at http://www.ethio.com and http://tour.ethiopianonline.net. a) Climate Ethiopia has two main seasons; the dry season lasts from October through May, and the rainy season starts in late June and ends in September. Temperatures depend on season and altitude. b) Electric supply Electric supply in Ethiopia is 220-240 volts, 50 cycles AC accessible via 13-amp, two-pin (Italian) socket. c) Transport Visitors and conference participants arrive at Bole International Airport, which is located just 5 kilometres from the centre of Addis Ababa. With enough notice, ECA will provide courtesy transport for pick up at the Airport. ECA buses will ferry participants back and forth from their hotels to the conference venue in the mornings and at the end of the daily sessions. ECA will not provide transport during lunch break. If transportation in Addis Ababa is needed outside of conference hours or to go to the airport at the end of the Conference, the National Tourism Organization (NTO) can provide taxi service and can be reached by calling + 251-(0)11-515 18 22 or + 251-(0)11-551 84 00. A one-hour city tour by NTO taxi will cost Birr 74.00, and Birr 44.00 from the Hilton/Sheraton Hotels to the Airport. The yellow or blue taxis parked outside your hotel are relatively cheaper. These taxis will take you to most places in Addis for about Birr 20.00 -30.00, 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. d) Currency: Birr Ethiopian currency is denominated in "Birr" and " centimes". The bank rate of exchange varies. The official exchange rate as of December 2005 was $US1.00 = Birr 8.72 and Euro 1.00 = Birr 10.34. There is a branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the ECA compound located in the Rotunda of the Africa Hall 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 are also authorized exchange bureaus (Forex) at the Sheraton and Hilton Hotels. Please note that exchange rates vary from time to time. 12. GUIDELINES ON PERSONAL SECURITY AND SAFETY Personal security is an individual responsibility. Using common sense and being alert can reduce risks. The aim of these security and safety guidelines is to provide visitors and conference participants, with the necessary personal security advice, making them aware of the existing security rules and regulations that apply within the ECA Compound and in Addis Ababa. The best way to be safe is to avoid trouble at all cost, rather than having to extricate oneself later. The Offices of the United Nations Security and Safety Service is always at the ready to serve all its clients. In this regard, the cooperation of all participants and visitors helps a great deal in ensuring personal security and the safety of valuables. a) Personal security Addis Ababa, unlike other developing State capitals, has a low record of common crimes. The city is considered to be one of the safest capitals in Africa. However, for your safety, please maintain a high state of vigilance at all times. Petty theft, pickpockets and purse snatching are common crimes when opportune. They can occur at any time of the day and night; be alert and follow these simple rules:
b) Restrictions In accordance with United Nations practice, no firearms of any description will be allowed into UN premises. During the meetings, only Security personnel that are involved in protecting Heads of States and other VIPs and who have obtained permission from the Host Government and have prior arrangements with UN Security are exempted from such restrictions. c) Mobile/cell phones Mobile/cell phones will be screened at the entrance and participants are advised to switch off their phones when they enter the Conference Rooms. d) Smoking Please be informed that UNCC is a non-smoking area. 13. MISCELLANEOUS Please take note of the following: On ECA premises:
Off ECA Premises and in the hotels
f) Useful telephone numbers Emergency numbers: UN
Control Room-Addis Ababa 011 544 51 35/551 65 37 Police
Emergency Numbers: Note For any information on substantive issues and documentation, please contact: Adrian
Gauci Confirmations of your participation as well as enquiries in respect of logistics and conference venue arrangements should be addressed to: Laurent
H. AGOSSOU, Chief
|
