LARC/04/INF/1 |
|
LARC/04/INF/1 |
TWENTY-EIGHTH FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN |
Guatemala City, Guatemala, 26 to 30 April 2004 |
INFORMATION NOTE |
1. The 28th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott, Guatemala City, from 26 to 30 April 2004. The Technical Committee of the Conference will meet on 26 and 27 April 2004. The Inaugural Ceremony of the Plenary Session will take place at 09.00 hours on 28 April 2004 in the Salσn Las Naciones (Hall of Nations) of the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott.
2. Conference working hours will be 08.30 to 13.00 and 14.30 to 18.30 hours, unless otherwise decided by the Conference.
3. An Order of the Day will be issued each day with detailed information on Conference business, the timetable, items for discussion and other matters of general interest.
4. The Provisional Agenda (LARC/04/INF/2) and the Provisional List of Documents (LARC/04/INF/3) are included with the letter of invitation, as is the Provisional Annotated Agenda (LARC/04/1). This will continue to be provisional until the Conference has begun and adopted the final Agenda.
5. FAO has appointed the Conference Secretary (para. 12). He will be assisted by FAO staff whose names and functions will be indicated on a list to be circulated on the first day of the Conference.
6. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish. Documentation will also be in English, French and Spanish.
7. During the Conference, the Information Officer of the FAO Regional Office, assisted by the Information Officer appointed by the Government of Guatemala, will liaise with the press and handle public information matters.
8. Journalists will be accredited at the Press Office, which will be set up in the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott, on presentation of two passport-size photographs and a letter of assignment from the media they represent.
9. The working documents will be sent before the Conference to all invited governments and organizations and will be available on the Internet at http://www.rlc.fao.org/larc04. Documents drafted during the Conference will be available to participants from the Documents Distribution Desk located outside the Salσn Las Naciones, where staff will also deliver mail and messages and provide any general information required.
10. Delegates wishing to submit draft recommendations or other documents requiring the adoption of a decision by the Conference are requested to deliver the Spanish or English text to the Conference Secretariat, if possible in three typed copies. Delegations wishing to circulate other written material relating to the Conference Agenda are requested to provide the Secretariat with 100 copies in Spanish, 50 in English and 10 in French.
11. Delegates are kindly requested to provide the Conference Secretary with three typed copies of statement texts in advance, in order to facilitate the work of the Secretariat and the interpreters.
12. All correspondence concerning the Regional Conference should be addressed to:
The Conference Secretary
Mr. Guilherme Schuetz
28th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
Hotel Guatemala City Marriott
7ͺ Avenida 15-45 Zona 9
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Tel:(502) 339-7777 central / 339-7783 y 339-7784 direct
Fax: (502) 332-1877 central
E-Mail: [email protected]
13. Postal and communications services as well as information on travel and tourism will be available to delegates and observers on Conference premises.
14. During the Conference, an area next to the meeting rooms will be equipped with telephones at the disposal of delegates and observers for international calls. Internet connection will also be available.
15. Delegations attending the Conference should contact the Embassy or Consulate of Guatemala regarding entry formalities. The Guatemalan Government will inform all its representatives of this event and will request their support with visa formalities. Where there is no diplomatic mission in the country concerned, travellers should send the Conference Secretary their full name, as given on their passport, date and place of birth, nationality, passport number, date and place of issue and validity, and duration of stay in Guatemala in order that an entry visa can be duly requested from the authorities. General visa requirements are as follows:
Countries not requiring |
Countries requiring
|
Countries requiring
|
Argentina |
Cuba |
Antigua and Barbuda |
Belize |
Guyana |
Bahamas |
Brazil |
Haiti |
Barbados |
Costa Rica |
Suriname |
Bolivia |
Chile |
Colombia | |
El Salvador |
Dominica | |
Honduras |
Dominican Republic | |
Nicaragua |
Grenada | |
Panama |
Jamaica | |
Uruguay |
Peru | |
Venezuela |
St. Kitts & Nevis | |
St. Lucia | ||
St. Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
Trinidad and Tobago |
16. Guatemala has no vaccination requirements for international travellers.
17. Participants are requested to provide advance notice of their arrival (at least four weeks prior to their journey). They should indicate the date and time of arrival, the carrier and flight number and all related information. This will help expedite customs formalities and hotel transfer. Participants are advised to label their luggage clearly to facilitate identification and avoid problems on arrival at the airport.
18. The authorities of Guatemala will make special arrangements for participants to be met on arrival and assisted with immigration, baggage claim, customs, and transfer to hotel. Similar arrangements will be made on their departure.
19. Participants are advised to contact the travel desk at the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott immediately on arrival in Guatemala City to confirm their return flights and to receive information on the programme of visits organized for accompanying parties.
20. The Guatemalan currency is the quetzal which can be used for all transactions contracted in that currency within the national territory, in tourist installations and other commercial and public service establishments. The only currency convertible into quetzals is the US dollar. International credit cards are also accepted. Most banks and exchange bureaux accept traveller's cheques.
21. Medical and first aid services will be available on a 24-hour basis at the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott.
22. Registration will take place at the Hotel Guatemala City Marriott on Saturday 24 April, between 15.00 and 18.00 hours; on Sunday 25 April between 09.00 and 17.00 hours, and on Monday 26 April from 08.00 hours. All participants are kindly requested to register as soon as possible at the registration desk in front of the Salσn Las Naciones where they will be issued with an identification badge. A provisional list of participants will be issued during the first day of the Conference and subsequently amended as necessary. Any correction or addition to the list should be notified to the Conference Secretariat. Only registered participants will receive an identification badge giving them access to the Conference meeting rooms.
23. Delegates are reminded that they will have to present duly authorized credentials to certify their status as delegate of their country or institution to the Conference.
24. Delegates wishing to host receptions are requested to inform the Conference Secretariat as early as possible after their arrival, so that a programme of receptions can be prepared. Formal dress is required at the Inaugural Ceremony.
25. Guatemala City is situated at 23°17' North Latitude and 82°28' West Longitude and stands 1300 m above sea level. The average temperature in April is 24° centigrade with probable fluctuations between 16° and 27° C.
26. The voltage in Guatemala is 110 volts/60 cycles.
27. Requests for hotel reservation should be made using the form in Appendix A and sent as soon as possible to the Conference Secretariat. Reservation requests will be held until 2 April 2004; reservations after that date will not benefit from the special rates below.
28. The average cost of a meal in Guatemala City is about US$10.
29. The Conference Secretariat and the Guatemalan Government have made special arrangements to accommodate all participants in the following hotel:
Hotel Guatemala City Marriott
7ͺ Avenida 15-45 Zona 9
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Tel: (502) 339-7777 central
Fax: (502) 332-1877 central
E-mail: [email protected]
Special rates available to participants per room, including buffet breakfast, use of gymnasium and transfer to and from the airport:
Type of room (single or double) |
US$ |
TOTAL |
Standard |
45 |
55 |
Deluxe |
70 |
85 |
Executive |
90 |
110 |
Duplex |
100 |
122 |
Title and position ..................................................................................... ....... Institution ....................................................................................................... . Postal address ...................................................................................... ........... .............................................................................................................................. Telephone ….................................................................. Fax . ............. E-mail ...................... □ official □ private Attending as: Head of Delegation □ Delegate □ Observer □ Secretariat □ Accompanying party: Yes □ No □ Number in accompanying party □ Arrival: Date....…..............….......…. Hour ...................................
Arriving from …………………………...........………………………… Departure: Date....…...............…..... Hour ...................................
Room preference: Single □ Double □ Standard □ Deluxe □ Executive □ Duplex □ Special needs:............................................................... ....................................
.............................................................................................................................. |
NOTE: Each delegate or observer is kindly requested to fill in this form and send a copy by e-mail or fax to the Conference Secretariat as soon as possible and no later than 2 April 2004, even if full flight details are not available. These can be sent later. |