2017 PACIFIC EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE Moving Forward with SDGs for Early Childhood September, 2017 Denarau Island Nadi, Fiji.

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1 2017 PACIFIC EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE Moving Forward with SDGs for Early Childhood September, 2017 Denarau Island Nadi, Fiji. ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE I. GENERAL The first-ever Pacific Early Childhood Development Conference (ECD), organized by UNICEF, the World Bank and the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Care and Education, will be held at Sofitel Resort and Spa at Denarau Island in Nadi, Fiji from 19 to 21 September Day 1 and Day 2 will gather senior government officials in a series of discussions and presentations on key issues in ECD with the aim of delivering a Pacific Call to Action on ECD for endorsement at the ministerial roundtable on Day 3. II. MEETING SCHEDULE Generally, the daily conference hours shall be from 09:00 to 17:00 hours, with a 1-hour lunch break and 15-minute coffee/tea breaks in the morning and afternoon. The specific times of each session will be indicated in the final conference programme to be distributed to participants upon registration. All events will be held at the Sofitel Hotel and the main conference hall will be Ballroom 2. III. REGISTRATION All participants are required to register for the conference and obtain an ID badge. For reasons of security, conference badges should be worn visibly at all times during the conference proper and at social functions. A registration table will be set up on Monday, 18 September at the main hotel lobby (just outside the conference room) for those who are arriving early. Registration will also be open starting at 08:30 am on 19 September A daily attendance sheet will be on the conference tables at the main ballroom for each day of the conference. Please make sure to sign these forms. 1

2 IV. FLIGHTS Arrival in Fiji should be planned for the afternoon or evening of Monday, 18 September 2017 at Nadi airport, unless flight schedules are not available for these days. Ministers attending Day 3 of the conference should plan to arrive on Wednesday, 20 September Departure should be planned for the morning of Friday, 22 September UNICEF will issue airline tickets to government participants, prioritizing the most immediate flight prior to and after the conference. Please correspond directly with Mere Corerega of UNICEF (contact details at end of note) to arrange for and confirm all booking details. Any changes to the booking details should be communicated to UNICEF with adequate prior notice; otherwise these may not be accommodated. Self-funded participants should make their own travel arrangements. V. TRANSPORT TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT Participants are expected to arrange for their own transport to and from the airport. UNICEF will not provide for airport pickups and drop-offs. Yellow metered taxis are easy to flag upon exit from the arrival terminal of the Nadi airport and should cost no more than $25.00 FJD to the hotel. Guests also have the option of personally arranging for a car transfer from the hotel to the airport which costs $45.00 one way or contacting this taxi agency, Nadi Taxis at (679) (short code 6000). Ministers will be welcomed and picked up by representatives from Fiji s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and UNICEF. Please approach these welcoming officers who will be holding the conference logo at the arrival section of the airport. Ministers will also be assisted for their departures. VI. VISA REQUIREMENTS Visitors to Fiji who come for the purpose of attending the conference will be given visitor permits on Immigration Clearance. Visitors will need to present the following at Immigration Clearance: A valid foreign passport Return ticket to country of residence or citizenship Completed and signed Arrival Card Confirmed address in Fiji VII. HOTEL ACCOMMODATION All government participants are booked into single rooms at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa Hotel, a five-star Fiji resort overlooking the beachfront at beautiful Denarau Island, Viti Levu, Fiji (see The hotel is 20 minutes away from Nadi International Airport. All rooms are air-conditioned and include a LED TV, minibar and personal electronic safe. All room bookings are inclusive of buffet breakfast. 2

3 The hotel address is as follows: Denarau Island Ph: (679) Fax: (679) Sofitel Hotel is the venue for the duration of the conference, with reservations and room charges taken care of by UNICEF. Self-funded conference participants must make their own hotel bookings but may avail of Sofitel Hotel s special room rates of $ FJD for a single superior room (inclusive of buffet breakfast). Upon arrival, all guests must proceed to the hotel reception for check-in. Please note that guests will be required to place a deposit fee of $100 FJD in cash or via debit/credit card. This will be returned upon checkout minus incidental fees during the guest s stay. Before departure and upon check out, participants should settle directly with Sofitel. UNICEF will only cover for the room charge, inclusive of breakfast. All other expenses are to be paid for by the conference participants, including personal expenses incurred from the room s mini-bar, room service, hotel meals charged to the room, local and longdistance telephone calls, laundry, and hotel transportation services. VIII. PER DIEM UNICEF-funded participants will receive per diem in Fiji dollars. The per diem total will be a reduced amount since accommodation and most meals for the conference period are already provided for by UNICEF. The overall calculation of the DSA will follow UNICEF guidelines and will depend on your flight schedule, which is an average amount of $100FJD per conference day. Per diem will be disbursed to the participants via Post Fiji, the main outlet of which is near the airport (see map below). Post Fiji near the airport is only open during office 3

4 hours (8am 530pm) from Monday-Friday. Participants will need to present their passports and EMO codes at the counter to collect their per diem payments. These EMO codes have been sent to you via . For those arriving outside of these days/hours, UNICEF will arrange for a bus to bring them to Post Fiji (see schedule below). Please make sure to be at the hotel lobby at least 5 minutes before the stated time in this schedule. Day Time Monday, 18 September :00 am 03:00 pm Tuesday, 19 September :00 am 03:00 pm IX. MEALS Complimentary meals will be served at the hotel. A daily buffet breakfast will be served at the Lagoon Restaurant from 06:30 am to 10:30 am as part of the hotel booking. Daily complimentary lunch during the duration of the conference will be at the Lagoon Restaurant. Ministers are invited to have their lunch at the V Restaurant. The welcome cocktails will be at the Poolside Terrace and the farewell dinner will be at Meke Lawn. Meal coupons will be for one person only and will be distributed during registration and participants will be required to submit these coupons for verification during meals. For the rest of the meals, guests have the option of dining at their own expense at any of the hotel s three restaurants or at any of the restaurants located at nearby Port Denarau, which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Guests can also take the Bula bus from Sofitel Hotel to Port Denarau which travels regularly with fares of $8.00 each way. IMPORTANT: For any special dietary requirements, please inform Joy Millan-Maler on or before August 31,

5 X. INSURANCE UNICEF does not provide travel or medical insurance cover for participants or their belongings. Participants are expected to make their own arrangements for accident, illness, and luggage insurance, if so desired. For any medical emergency, Sofitel Hotel has a 24 hour on-call medical assistance with Zen Medical Team. Please approach Sofitel or UNICEF staff for any medical emergency. XI. WEATHER Fiji has a warm tropical climate and maximum temperatures that rarely move out of the 31C to 26C range all year round. Light tropical clothing is appropriate, although a coat or shawl will come in handy for the conference which will be held in air-conditioned rooms. XII. CONFERENCE ATTIRE Conference attire should be smart casual or business wear for the entire duration of the conference. XIII. CURRENCY The local currency in Fiji is the Fijian Dollar (FJD). Tourist places, shopping areas, ordinary coffee shops and restaurants accept only local currency, although more established shops may accept debit or credit cards. Credit card purchases often have additional service fees. Currency conversion and ATM bank withdrawals can be completed at the airport, at the hotel, or at nearby tourist spots from the hotel. Persons traveling into or out of Fiji are required to declare to custom officials at the borders if they are carrying on themselves or in their possessions any currency or bearer negotiable instruments of $10,000 or more (or equivalent amounts in foreign currency). Travellers must make this declaration by completing a Border Currency Reporting Form which will be made available at the customs counter at the airport. XIV. INTERNET SERVICES Complimentary Wi-fi access will be available at the conference venue and at each of the hotel rooms. The network name and password will be provided upon registration. Please bring your own laptop computer, if desired. Printing will be available at a cost at the hotel business room. XV. RECREATION AND AMENITIES Sofitel Hotel has several amenities that guests can enjoy during their stay. The hotel s private beach offers seaside pleasure for those looking to have a swim. It also has a lagoon-style pool which is one of the Pacific s largest swimming pools. A live band plays during most evenings at the Breeze Bar located within the hotel premises. A fitness centre is available for guests own use or with the guidance of a personal trainer. Private spa treatments are also available at guests own expense. 5

6 The nearest tourist spot to the hotel is Port Denarau, accessible by walking or through a short bus ride. Located on the water s edge, the port s shopping centre, which is open from 09:00 to 23:00, offers a large collection of quality shopping and dining, with a range of spas and recreational activities for all age groups. For more information, check out XVI. CONFERENCE DOCUMENTS Pre-session documents can be downloaded from the conference website: prior to the conference. For ease and in order to reduce the amount of paper used, USB flash drives containing conference documents and resources will also be distributed to each participant upon registration. Only one conference programme and administrative note will be printed and distributed to each participant. Documents may also be reproduced with corresponding charges at the hotel s business centre. Conference proceedings will be reported and published after the conference. This will be uploaded to the conference website and a printed copy will be sent to each delegate, for their reference. XVII. SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS Most presentations and speeches will be held at Ballroom 2 of Sofitel. If you are a speaker or presenter at the conference, it is your responsibility to have the final version of your presentation handed over to Joy Millan-Maler of the organizing committee before the presentation. Approach the IT team prior to your presentation to check on the formatting and display of your presentation. A clicker will be available for you to use. Since conference proceedings will be reported and published after the conference, please make sure to submit a 1-page synopsis of your presentation to Joy Millan-Maler. XVIII. CONTACT PERSONS For any questions or concerns during the conference, please approach any of the UNICEF staff. You can identify them through the UNICEF button they are wearing. Otherwise, you can also contact: For logistical matters: Joy Millan-Maler: kmillan@unicef.org; (679) For travel, accommodation and DSA arrangements: Mere Corerega: pacificecd2017@gmail.com; (679) For hotel booking (self-funded): Minnie Raddock: events@sofitelfiji.com.fj; (679) For Ministers arrival and departure: Iosefo Volau: ivolau@unicef.org; (679)