Updated Logistical Information February 9 th, 2006

Transcription

1 World Water Council Updated Logistical Information February 9 th, th General Assembly March 14 th -15 th, th World Water Forum March 16 th -22 nd, 2006 You will find in this document the following information: Schedule; Venues (4 th General Assembly and 4 th World Water Forum); Registration; Accommodations; Visas; General information and Contacts. Schedule To ensure a broader representation of Council members at the Council s two major events, the date and location of the 4 th General Assembly coincide with the 4 th World Water Forum. GENERAL ASSEMBLY March 13 th, 2006 Afternoon Registration and distribution of documents March 14 th, 2006 Morning Afternoon Registration and distribution of documents Opening of the General Assembly Meetings of the Caucuses March 15 th, 2006 All day General Assembly March 16 th, 2006 Afternoon Opening Thematic Beacons roundtable 4 th WORLD WATER FORUM March 17 th, 2006 March 18 th, 2006 March 19 th, 2006 March 20 th, 2006 March 21 st, 2006 March 22 nd, 2006 Regional presentation: AMERICAS Water for growth and development Regional presentation: EUROPE Implementing integrated water resources management Regional presentation: AFRICA Water supply and sanitation for all Regional presentation: MIDDLE EAST Water management for food and the environment Regional presentation: ASIA-PACIFIC Risk management Multi Stakeholder Dialogue (Senior Officials) World Water Day Ministerial Conference Kyoto Prize Ceremony Closing ceremony 1

2 Venues General Assembly The General Assembly will take place at the Hotel Camino Real. Hotel Camino Real***** Mariano Escobedo No. 700 Col. Anzures. C.P , Mexico City Mexico Phone: (00 55) Fax: (00 55) Website: 4 th World Water Forum Centro Banamex Avenida del Conscripto Número 311 México DF Cp Tel: (55) Fax: (55) info@centrobanamex.com Website: Distance from the airport 30 mn 2

3 Registration General Assembly To register for the General Assembly, member representatives should return the enclosed registration form either by , fax or snail mail ( is however recommended) as soon as possible. There is no limit to the number of participants from any given organisation. However, in the case that several people attend on behalf of the active member s organisation, only one of them will hold the right to vote. This person should check the appropriate box in the form. 4 th World Water Forum All participants, even those already registered for the General Assembly, must register independently for the Forum. The on-line registration is accessible through the Forum s website: Special rates for the Council s active members: One representative per active member organisation may benefit from a 50% discount on the Forum registration fees. To benefit from the offer, please provide the details of your organisation s representative to the Council s Headquarters. There is a limit of 200 places available. Among the responses, priority will be first given to organisations from developing countries and/or organisations with limited means. Then, requests will be considered from organisations actively involved in the Forum preparation and the Council s activities. WWC special rate Before February 15th After February 15th 7 days registration* 3 days registration* 1 day* * lunches are included 300 USD 480 USD 600 USD USD USD New! New! Payment for the registration fees The online payment feature is now available on the Forum website. You will be able to pay your registration fees online as soon as you receive your registration key by , except for participants benefiting from the 50% WWC discount. For those benefiting from the 50% discount, please be aware that the web feature for payment of discounted fees is not yet available. We will contact you as soon as it is available. Please note that you have until the opening of the Forum to process your payment and that you will even have the possibility to pay at the Forum s venue. If you have registered on-line before February 15 th, the early registration discount will be applicable even if you have not processed your payment before February 15 th, Accepted method of payment includes: credit card (highly recommended) or bank transfer. Contact For further information on the registration or payment process, please contact directly Hector Ibarrola who is responsible of registration issues within the Forum s secretariat. H.ibarrola@cna.gob.mx 3

4 Accommodations For your convenience, the Council has pre-booked hotel rooms in 3 hotels in close proximity to the GA s venue (Camino Real hotel) and the Forum s venue (Centro Banamex). You will find here below the list of hotels. Due to the great size of Mexico City, no hotel is within walking distance of the General Assembly and Forum s venues. Free shuttle bus services will be proposed 3 or 4 different locations in the center of the City to the Centro Banamex. The Secretariat of the 4th World Water Forum is organizing this service, and the schedules and pick-up points will be announced on the Forum Website later. Reservations We would like to inform you that the deadlines pre-booking rooms have expired, however you will still be able to book the hotel by mentioning the World Water Council name and benefit from the negotiated rates. Please be aware that you must book your hotel as soon as possible. Hotels and rates HOTEL Single rate (*) Double rate (*) Breakfast General Information Location Hotel Camino Real***** (GA s venue) Mariano Escobedo No. 700 Col. Anzures. C.P , Mexico City Ph.: (00 55) Fax: (00 55) Website: Reservation code: World Water Council Direct lines reservation: ; + 52 (55) Fax: + 52 (55) reservas@crmexico.com.mx or grupos@crmexico.com.mx US$187 (157 ) Same rates US$15 (12.5 ) 700 rooms International and Mexican atmosphere WIFI and internet access in the room available for an extra fee Business center Gymnasium - Swimming pool Location: zona Polanco To Centro Banamex: around 30mns by taxi, around US$10 (8-106MXN) Hotel NH Mexico City**** Liverpool No. 155, Col. Juárez C.P Mexico City Ph: +52 (55) Fax: +52 (55) Website: Reservation code: n World Water Council Contact for reservation: Veronica Alba mv.alba@nh-hotels.com Standard room US$100 (83 ) Executive room US$112 (93 ) Same rates US$13 (11.5 ) 300 rooms - International atmosphere Free internet access in the lobby WIFI and internet access in the room available for an extra fee Business center - Gymnasium Location: zona Rosa To Camino Réal: around 15mns by taxi, around US$7 (6-74MXN) To Centro Banamex: around 40mns by taxi, around US$12 (10-127MXN) Hotel Maria Cristina*** Río Lerma No. 31, Col. Cuauhtémoc C.P Mexico City Ph.: +52 (55) Fax: +52 (55) Website: reservation: reserva@hmcristina.com.mx Contact: Magdalena Silva 4 Standard room US$82 (67 ) Deluxe room US$106 (88 ) Same rates US$8 (7 ) (*) VAT and services included 150 rooms Colonial and Mexican atmosphere Business center Location: zona Reforma To Camino Réal: around 15mns by taxi, around US$7 (6-74MXN) To Centro Banamex: around 40mns by taxi, around US$12 (10-127MXN)

5 Payment of the hotel You will be able to pay for your hotel by: Credit card or cash in Pesos or in Dollars Hotels maps Hotel Maria Cristina Hotel NH Mexico City 5

6 6 Visa Who needs a visa to enter in Mexico? If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you do not need a visa to enter Mexico but only a valid passport: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Island, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America, Uruguay or Venezuela. If your country is not listed above, you will need a visa and will have to follow the procedure below to obtain it. Easier and quicker procedure to obtain a visa The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) has already established with their Embassies an easier and quicker procedure for registered participants of the 4 th World Water Forum. Participants will not need to go to the Embassy to request their visa but instead they may supply the information listed below to the 4 th World Water Forum s Secretariat, which will forward it to the Mexican SRE. To its members, the WWC proposes that the information be supplied directly to the WWC Headquarters, which will take care of forwarding it to the Secretariat of the 4 th World Water Forum and following up. The SRE will then issue a key number that will be communicated to both the participant and the Embassy. Please note that it will take about 3 weeks to provide the participants with the key number. Once participants are in possession of their key number, they may go, on any working day from Monday to Thursday, with their passport to the Embassy and withdraw their visa. Necessary information and documents To benefit from the Council s assistance in obtaining your visa, please complete the enclosed visa form and return it along with a copy of your passport before January 30th. Beyond this date, the Council will no longer be in position to assist you, and members will need to follow the normal procedure as described below. The registered participants in the 4 th World Water Forum should provide the Secretariat of the 4 th World Water Forum with the following documents and information to obtain their visa: Name (First name(s), Last name and title), name of the member organisation being represented, and position within the organisation. Date of arrival in and departure from Mexico. A legible copy of his or her passport: pages containing the passport number, the delivery information and picture. An electronic legible copy of the passport would be preferable. If this is not possible, a legible hard copy will be accepted. The city in which they wish to withdraw their visa. Please note that there is a Mexican Embassy only in the following countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belice, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japon, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Phillippines, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapour, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam. To find the address of one of the above embassies, please check the website of the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs:

7 General information General information about Mexico - Language: Spanish is the official language. - Currency and exchange: the monetary unit of Mexico is the Peso. 1 USD = Pesos approximately. Currency can be exchanged in exchange offices and banks located in the airport and malls during standard office hours. Currently, the most comfortable and recommended form of payment is an international credit card. - Gratuities/Tips: Service charges are not included in bills restaurant. A tip of 10 to 15 percent is appreciated. - Telephone Cards: It is necessary to purchase a Prepaid Card in order to use public telephones. These can be purchased at self-service stores, tobacco shops and newspaper stands. - Taxes: There is a Value Added Tax in Mexico, better known as I.V.A. This tax is paid when purchasing and consuming a majority of articles, and is payable by everyone, including residents and tourists. This tax is already included in the price of food and drinks in restaurants, store and boutique purchases and excursion fares. It is presently 15% of the value of the purchase. - Personal Security: It is recommended for your personal security not to wear expensive jewelry, ostentatious articles or other valuables. Instead they should be placed in the safe deposit box of the hotel. - Climate: During the dates in which the 4 th World Water Forum will be held, the temperatures will range from 15 C to 26 C. Arrival in Mexico City Mexico City is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains and is located at an altitude of 2,400 meters. You will arrive at Benito Juárez International Airport: The airport is located 13km (8 miles) east of Mexico City. Transportation: - Taxis: Only take official taxis and avoid boarding taxicabs off the street. If you need to travel from any point within the city, you can use radio taxicabs services or those that can be found parked in special areas called Sitios, or ask the hotel. These offer safe trips at reasonable prices. As a security measure when taking a taxicab off the street, make sure the driver s I.D. is visible and that the taximeter is working properly. The larger hotels have taxi services. - Subway: The underground train is a cheap and efficient means of transportation and represents an excellent option for traveling. Tourist activities Tourist activities will be organised for participants wishing to discover Mexico from March 17 th to March 21 st. The program will be available on the Forum s website in a few days. However you may already make your own inquiry by visiting the official tourist information website of Mexico: 7

8 Contacts General Assembly Until the General Assembly, the Headquarters will keep you informed of the latest developments on a regular basis by , mail, newsletters and through its website at: Should you have any particular questions on your participation in the General Assembly, please do not hesitate to contact the following people: Registration and logistics: Carine Sirou generalassembly@worldwatercouncil.org Membership and procedures: Sabrina André s.andre@worldwatercouncil.org Agenda and Documents: Danielle Gaillard-Picher d.gaillard@worldwatercouncil.org 4 th World Water Forum Until the Forum, the Mexican secretariat team will keep you up to date with latest developments through their website and newsletters: Should you have any particular questions on your participation in the Forum, please do not hesitate to contact the following people: 8 New! Call Center: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, GMT-6:00 phone: (only from Mexico); (international) callcenter@vilsa.com.mx General inquiries: feedback@worldwaterforum4.org.mx New! Registration: Hector Ibarrola: hector.ibarrola@cna.gob.mx New! Visa: Hugo Hernandez: hugo.hernandez@cna.gob.mx; visas@worldwaterforum4.org.mx New! Logistics, lodging and transportation: Juan Valencia: juan.valencia@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Regional process: Jose Antonio Rodriguez: josea.rodriguez@cna.gob.mx Thematic process: Ricardo Martinez: Rafael.lopezm@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Ministerial process: Ernesto Cespedes: mrosas@sre.gob.mx World Water Expo: Laura Barrera: expo@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Water Fair: Orlando Jaimes: orlando.jaimes@worldwaterforum4.org.mx International Relations Coordinator: Colin Herron: colin.herron@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Interest groups / Civil society: Alejandra Ghilgliazza: alejandra.ghigliazza@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Local Actions: Amanda Rodriguez: Amanda.Rodriguez@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Topic sessions: Rafael Lopez: Rafael.lopezm@worldwaterforum4.org.mx; sessions@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Communication: Heidi Storsberg: rina.mussali@worldwaterforum4.org.mx International Press relations: Ulrike Kelm: Ulrike.kelm@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Invitations: Claudia Coria: invitation@worldwaterforum4.org.mx Newsletter: Rina Mussali: rina.mussali@worldwaterforum4.org.mx