XX REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF CUSTOMS DIRECTORS GENERAL FOR THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN REGION

Transcription

1 XX REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF CUSTOMS DIRECTORS GENERAL FOR THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN REGION XXXVIII MEETING OF CUSTOMS NATIONAL DIRECTORS OF LATIN AMERICA, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL MEETING OF THE CUSTOMS FROM THE AMERICAS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR CUBA 2017 ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCULAR La Havana, Cuba May 15-19, 2017

2 1. PURPOSE This Administrative Circular provides general information about preparations and of the RCCDG and COMALEP meetings to be held on May and May respectively, as well as on the meeting with the Private Sector, which will be held on May PROGRAM The Program of the RCCDG is included in Annex A, of COMALEP in Annex B and of Private Sector in Annex C. Note: the programs are subject to change. 3. CONTACTS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT All questions or comments regarding the general coordination of this event should be addressed to: Americaribe Regional Vice-Chair of the Americas and the Caribbean americaribe@aduana.cl Telephone: / COMALEP Secretariat International Customs Affairs and Private Sector Office, Mexico comalep@sat.gob.mx and sofia.fernandez@sat.gob.mx Telephone: +52 (55) / ext For specific information regarding the registration process, accommodation and transportation, you should contact: Mirta Oliva Enrique International Relations Specialist relint@agr.aduana.cu Telephone: (537) , (537) ext. 241 Niurka Brito Gutiérrez Head of the International Relations Department a.i. especialista1.relint@agr.aduana.cu Telephone: (537) , (537) ext. 240, 241

3 4. MEETING VENUE: The venue of the RCCDG, COMALEP and Private Sector will be: Hotel Nacional of La Havana, Cuba Meeting Room: Salón 1930 Address: Street 21 and O, Vedado, Plaza, La Havana, Cuba. Zip: Web site: 5. REGISTRATION PROCESS 5.1 Registration Form The delegate of each country will be responsible for verifying and registering its participation through the Registration Form (Append to this document). The Registration Form will be available from February 15 until April 25, If participating in the Private Sector Meeting, please indicate your attendance through the registration form append. 5.2 Distribution of Identification Cards The Registration Office for the meetings (RCCDG, COMALEP and Private Sector) will be located at The Hotel Nacional: Sunday May 14 at the Baracoa Salón (from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs.) and Monday May 15 at the 1930 Salón (starting at 07:30 hrs). During the week, accreditation will be available upon request. 6. ACCOMODATION At the Hotel Nacional of Cuba For hotel reservations (submitting the registration forms) or for additional information, please contact: Sandra C. Jiménez Head of Reservations Hotel Nacional of Cuba Telephone: Ext. 598/198/599 Ruben Forés Commercial Office Telephone: (537) (537) al 67 ext. 598/198

4 With Copy to: Mirta Oliva Enrique International Relations Specialist Telephone: (537) , (537) ext. 241 Niurka Brito Gutiérrez Head of the International Relations Department a.i. Telephone: (537) , (537) ext. 240, 241 For hotel reservation rates and deadlines, see the registration form. 7. ARRIVAL AND ADMISSION PROCESSES Persons entering Cuba must hold a valid passport and in some cases, a visa to enter the country. Each delegate will be responsible of requesting their respective visa, if necessary. Cuba has visa waiver for diplomatic and official passports with the next countries: Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, St Lucia, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela. Russia and China. And visa waiver for holders of valid national passports with: Barbados and St. Lucia. In order to expedite the process for the rest of the countries where the visa is mandatory, please send the scanned photocopy of the cover page and first page of a valid passport to the addresses: relint@agr.aduana.cu y especialista1.relint@agr.aduana.cu Delegates are advised to check the information on visa requirements at the nearest Cuban Consulate. 8. TRANSPORTATION There are direct flights from many countries to La Havana. International Airlines and other airlines companies have connecting flights with the International Airport Jose Marti. Upon arrival at the airport in La Havana, the delegates will be transferred from the airport to the hotel. In order to facilitate transfers, please indicate your flight data (complete itinerary) in the Registration Form or when your ticket reservation is done.

5 Delegates will be transferred to all the places where the social activities (included in the agenda) will take place. Contact point in the International Airport Jose Marti: Jorge Luis Bubaire Quintana Head of International Airport Jose Marti Customs Office Telephone: (537) RECEIPT AND REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS All documents for the meeting (Word and/or Power Point) must be sent in electronic format by May 5, 2017 at the latest, to: Mirta Oliva Enrique International Relations Specialist Telephone: (537) (537) ext Requirements for sending presentations and documents All documents should be submitted electronically for their later reproduction. They must be in letter size, Microsoft Word format (.doc or.docx) and Arial font, size 12. On the other hand, presentations should be sent in Power Point format (.ppt or.pptx). 10. MEETING PREMISES 10.1 Plenary Room The Conference Room 1930 in the National Hotel will be the plenary room for all the meetings Documentation Center The Documentation Center will be located within the Baracoa room. The Registration Office in the Conference room 1930, will provide assistance to the participants on any documental matter. 11. PRESS Press manager For more information concerning the Press and the media, please contact:

6 Agnes Rodríguez Maceo Institutional communication Telephone: (537) (537) ext. 308, HEALTH CARE The hotel has medical emergency services. However, delegates are advised to obtain medical insurance before travelling to Cuba. 13. CLOTHING Delegates should wear formal clothes. In Cuba, long sleeve Guayabera is considered as formal. In social activities, delegates should wear casual or outdoor clothes. It is specially recommended to have appropriated clothing given the weather conditions of the area (tropical and humid). Generally high temperatures. The average values are from 24 C to 34 C. 14. GENERAL INFORMATION Republic of Cuba, official name. Language: Spanish. The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago integrated by the mayor island of The Antilles called Cuba, the Juventud Island and keys, islets and islands. It is located in the Antilles or Caribbean Sea, near to the USA and Mexico coasts. The land area is 109,884 km2, if coastal and territorial waters are included it goes up to 110,860 km2. Cuba has 5,746 km of coast and 29 km of borders including Guantanamo Bay. The population of La Havana is over 2 million people, is the most populated City of Cuba and one of the cities with most population density of the insular Caribbean. It is the Capital of the country which generously welcomes all its visitors (nationals and internationals). The most important economic sectors are based on the country s natural resources: nickel, sugar, oil and coffee, among others. Goods and services exports (medical services and pharmaceutical-medical industry products), as well as activities related to the tourism sector also provide income to the economy.

7 14.2 Currency The local currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP), but also in circulation is the convertible peso (CUC). Services and products in the hotels and touristic places are paid with CUC. The current exchange is 1,00 USD per 1 CUC. The fixed exchange surcharge for cash is 10%; for credit cards and transfers there is no surcharge. The transactions with Canadian dollars, euros, pounds and Swiss francs have no surcharge. Internationally known foreign currencies can be exchanged at commercial banks and Currency Exchange. American credit cards cannot be used because of the regulations and restrictions from USA Weather Generally, Cuba has high temperatures. The average values are from 24 C in the plains to 34 C and more in the eastern coasts. From May to October is the hottest period and form November to April is less hot. The humidity is high; the average is around 90%. The highest levels are usually over 95%, which occur at sunrise, the minimum levels fall between 50-60% at noon, in the inland regions. The humid areas are the western and central regions, along with the main mountain ranges. The effect of humidity results in an intense hot sensation during much of the year, through the Cuban archipelago Time Zone The Time zone of Cuba is UTC-5 hours (UTC-4 in summer time) which is in force since March Tourism Visit the following Web sites that provide touristic information about La Havana RELIGION The predominant religion is Catholic, but there are also Protestants such as Evangelicals, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. Religions from African origin such as The Yoruba and Ocha rule are also recognized. There are many catholic temples throughout the country. In La Havana: The Havana Cathedral, The Church of the Holy Heart (Jesuit), The Church of Carmen (Carmelites), The Church of the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin of Regla, of San Lazaro, of the Caridad del Cobre.