UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION

Transcription

1 UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION REGIONAL MEETING OF EDUCATION MINISTERS OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: E2030: EDUCATION AND SKILLS FOR THE XXI CENTURY Buenos Aires, Argentina January 2017 INFORMATION NOTE 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I II III VENUE REGISTRATION OF PARTICIPANTS AND RECEPTION SERVICE INAUGURAL SESSION Page. 3 IV ORGANIZATION OF DELIBERATIONS 5 V WORKING HOURS 5 VI WORKING LANGUAGES 6 VII WORKING DOCUMENTOS 6 VIII PRESS, RADIO AND TELEVISION 6 IX AIR TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS 6 X RECEPTION AT THE AIRPORT 7 XI REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING AND DEPARTING ARGENTINA 8 XII SECURITY AND HEALTH 8 XIII MEDICAL SERVICES 9 XIV CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE RATES 9 XV TAXI SERVICE 9 XVI CLIMATE 9 XVII ELECTRICITY 10 XIII TIME ZONE 10 XIX BUSINESS HOURS AND OTHERS

3 I. VENUE 1. At the generous invitation of the Government of the Republic of Argentina, together with the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago), the Regional Meeting of Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean E2030: Education and Skills for the XXI Century, will be held in Buenos Aires on 24 and 25 January The event will take place in the premises of the Palacio San Martin, ceremonial seat of the Chancellery of the Republic of Argentina, within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, facing Plaza San Martin in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Palacio San Martín is located at Arenales 761.(map). Accommodation for participants will be at the Hotel Panamericano, in the centre of the city facing the Obelisk, Teatro Colon and Avenida 9 de Julio. Hotel Panamericano is located at Carlos Pellegrini 551 (map). 3

4 2. The meeting Secretariat will be available at the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Santiago, Chile until 20 January. All correspondence and information requests until this date should be sent with the subject: Regional Meeting of Education Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean to: Meeting Secretariat Ms Loreto Bilbao Assistant to the Director a.i. Telephone: (56 2) or Fax: (56-2) Ms Marcela Copetta Programme Assistant Telephone: (56 2) CONAPLU Secretariat Coordinator: Lic. Maria Florencia Noya Dive Telephone: / After 23 January, all correspondence should be addressed to the Meeting Secretariat at the Cedro Conference Room in Palacio San Martin. 4

5 II. REGISTRATION OF PARTICIPANTS AND RECEPTION SERVICE Participants should confirm their attendance to the Meeting Secretariat and fill in the on-line registration (here). 4. Participant registration will take place in the foyer of the Libertador Conference Room in Palacio San Martín on 24 January 2017 between 8:30am and 9:00am, as well as on 25 January 2017 between 8:30am and 9:00am. 5. Upon registration, participants will receive a set of working documents, their personalized identification badges and other necessary documents. For security reasons, access to Conference rooms and to all programme activities will require the use of the badges. Participants are therefore required to carry and visibly display them at all times. 6. Participants and companions will also find tourist information along with the set of working documents to be distributed during accreditation. For more information, participants should consult with the meeting Secretariat. III. INAUGURAL SESSION 7. The opening ceremony of the Regional Meeting of Education Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean will take place on Tuesday 24 January 2017 at 9:00 am., at the Libertador Conference Room in Palacio San Martin. IV. ORGANIZATION OF DELIBERATIONS 8. Meeting discussions will take place in plenary sessions. 9. The Meeting Report will be the responsibility of the Meeting Secretariat. V. WORKING HOURS 10. The meeting sessions will take place at the times set out in the agenda. 5

6 VI. WORKING LANGUAGES 11. Simultaneous interpretation of oral interventions during the meeting will be available in four languages: Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. VII. WORKING DOCUMENTS 12. Working documents will be published before the meeting in Spanish and English, and will be available in advance on the website of OREALC/UNESCO Santiago ( Copies will be available in the information office of the meeting. The outcome documents of the meeting will be published in Spanish and English during the event. 13. Participants are reminded that the Secretariat shall be responsible only for the reproduction of documents directly related to the work of the meeting, such as draft resolutions, draft Reports, etc. Chiefs of delegations and other participants are kindly requested to provide such documents in Microsoft Word or other universally-accepted formats in order to facilitate the task of the Secretary and of the Press Relations Office. VIII. PRESS, RADIO AND TELEVISION 14. OREALC/UNESCO, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Sports of Argentina, will open a Press Relations and Information Office at the Palacio San Martin. Accredited representatives of the press, radio, television and other media may follow the work of the meeting. 15. The Press Relations and Information Office will provide media and press representatives with basic documents and press releases. This Office will also organize press conference and assist journalists in conducting interviews with delegations and key Secretariat personnel. IX. AIR TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS 16. Air travel Each delegation is required to fund the cost of their air ticket and reservation. 6

7 17. Accommodation Each delegation is required to arrange their reservations directly with the hotel and cover accommodation costs. Hotel Panamericano Dirección: Carlos Pellegrini 551. Ejecutiva de cuentas: Paola Maltas Mail reservas: Rate: US$ 169 VAT, breakfast and Wi-Fi included per night 18. Meals The Ministry of Education and Sports of Argentina will provide lunches and dinners for accredited participants on 24 and 25 January X. RECEPTION AT THE AIRPORT 19. The Minister of Education and Sports of Argentina has arranged reception services at the International Airport in Buenos Aires to facilitate arrival formalities and transfer to and from the hotel for the delegations of participating countries. In order for the Argentinian authorities to be able to make the necessary arrangements for delegations, and for organizational purposes, transfer to and from the airport will only be ensured for those who confirm to the organizers the date, time, airline and number of their flight, both for arrival in and departure from Buenos Aires, by 9 January 2017 at the latest, to the following address: conaplu@me.gov.ar with copy to: l.bilbao@unesco.org y m.copetta@unesco.org 20. Other participants are required to pay their own airport-hotel-airport transfers. The estimated cost for this is ARS$900. For further information, please consult the website (here), where the companies providing this service are listed. 7

8 XI. REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING AND DEPARTING ARGENTINA 21. All persons arriving in Argentina must have a valid national passport and, if required, the corresponding visa issued by the Argentinian authorities. Those with neighbouring country nationalities may enter the Republic of Argentina with an Identification Card/Credential. For further enquiries, please contact the Consulate of the Republic of Argentina in your country, or the Ministry of Education and Sports of Argentina, as soon as possible. 22. For countries requiring an entry visa for the Republic of Argentina: bearers of ordinary passports requiring visas for the meeting are requested to submit to the Argentinian Consular Office in their respective country a note with letterhead from the Ministry of Education of Sports indicating the reason for the trip and the date on which the meeting will be held. All participants in need of such a note must write, as soon as possible, to the following address: conaplu@me.gov.ar Visa requests for bearers of official or diplomatic passports should be directed to the National Office of Protocol and Ceremonial Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Argentina. For further information on the type of visa required, please consult the following link (here) 23. Participants must retain the entry form received upon arrival in Argentina, as it will have to be presented to airport authorities upon departure from the country. 24. For information on entry visas to Argentina, please contact the National Commission of Argentina for Cooperation with UNESCO: conaplu@me.gov.ar /1292/1290 XII. SECURITY AND HEALTH 25. The host government shall assure the security of delegations. 26. Argentina is free from diseases listed in the International Health Regulations, as well as from others subject to international epidemiological surveillance. 8

9 There are no specific health requirements for entering Argentina, and no vaccinations are required. Nonetheless, participants are advised not to enter the country with fresh food. XIII. MEDICAL SERVICES 27. Emergency call services will be available at the hotel in the event of participants having health problems. During the meetings at the Palacio San Martin, emergency medical services will also be available. 28. Each participant shall be responsible for taking out travel insurance, should they consider it appropriate, in order to cover any costs for health expenses that may arise while in Buenos Aires. The meeting organizers will not be responsible for costs of this nature. XIV. CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE RATE 29. The official currency is the Argentinian Peso. There are bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 10, 200 and 500 Argentine Peso bills; and coins of 1 and 2 pesos, and of 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents. 30. Currency exchange services will be available to participants at the hotel. Credit cards are widely accepted in shopping centres, restaurants and automatic teller machines. 31. In order to check the daily exchange rate, please see: (here) XV. TAXI SERVICES 32. The hotel has a taxi service available. XVI. CLIMATE 33. Buenos Aires enjoys warm weather during the month of January. Summer temperatures in Buenos Aires may vary between 35 C and 21 C. To check the daily weather forecast, please see (here). 9

10 XVII. ELECTRICITY 34. Electricity in Argentina operates with 220 volt circuits, and 50 cycles of alternate current. Power outlets are equipped for two cylindrical pins or two flat-blade plugs with a third for ground connection. We recommend travelling with an adaptor to use with appliances such as hairdryers and shavers. XVIII. TIME ZONE 35. Argentina uses the Greenwich Standard, UTC (Greenwich). XIX. BUSINESS HOURS AND OTHERS 36. Banks and foreign exchange agencies: Monday to Friday from Business establishments: generally and Shops and other establishments: Saturday, Cafés, pastry shops and pizza parlours: open most of the time, with a break between and Restaurants: lunch is served from onwards and dinner from Many establishments offer fast food at any hour. 41. It is customary to leave a 10% tip for service in cafeterias and restaurants, and to tip doormen, valets and ushers. 10