UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (ESCAP) Implementation of the Regional Framework for the Development of Dry Ports of International Importance Capacity-building Workshop for countries of South Asia New Delhi, 1-2 August 2018 INFORMATION NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS A. General 1. The Capacity Building Workshop on the Implementation of the Regional Framework for the Development of Dry Ports of International Importance for countries of South Asia is scheduled to be held in New Delhi India on 01 and 02 August 2018 at the Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD). The tentative programme of the workshop is available Annex 1. Workshop Venue 2. The workshop will be held at the Conference Room of AITD, Asia Bhawan, Road 205, Sector 9, Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India, Tel: +91-11-28080177. Detailed information on AITD is available at: http://www.aitd.net.in/ Registration and Workshop Badges 3. Participants are requested to register and obtain badges on the first day of the workshop i.e. 01 August 2018. This will be done at the registration desk located outside the conference room between 08:30 and 09:00 hours. The badge will be valid for the entire duration of the workshop. The names of only those participants duly registered will be included in the list of participants. For identification and security reason, all participants are requested to wear their badges at all times. B. Travel to and Stay in New Delhi Immigration Requirements 4. All participants must have a valid passport and valid visa. 5. Participants who may have to travel via a third country on their way to and back from New Delhi may also need a visa for the third country even though they may be only transiting the airport. 6. Participants are responsible for their visa arrangements. For details of visa requirements, participants are advised to consult the local embassy/diplomatic mission of India in the respective country. 7. Should it be necessary on the visa application form to indicate a contact person and organization in India, please indicate: Mr. Lalit Malhotra, Asian Institute for Transport Development, Asia Bhawan, Road-205, Sector-9, Dwarka, New Delhi-110077. 1
Arrival in / Departure from New Delhi 8. Participants should make their own transportation arrangements between New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Welcom Hotel, Sector-10, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075 (Tel: +91-11-42229222), for participants that have opted to stay at the Welcom Hotel, or at other hotels of their choice. Taxi services are readily available at the airport in New Delhi. Distance between the Airport and Welcom Hotel is about 10 km. 9. Radio Taxi services are available outside the terminal for which fares may be paid as shown in the meter upon arrival at destination. There are dedicated taxi counters for Mega Cabs, Meru Cabs along with Prepaid Taxi Booth at both International and Domestic Airport Terminals in New Delhi with taxis available 24 hours, 7 days a week. Prepaid Booths are operated under the direct control of Delhi Traffic Police. Hotel Accommodation 10. A special room rate of INR 5000 per room, including breakfast, has been negotiated for participants at the Welcom Hotel, Sector-10, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075. Participants wishing to avail of accommodation at this hotel should inform ESCAP to make the necessary booking not later than 15 July 2018. Detailed information on the hotel and the facilities and services it offers can be found at https://www.itchotels.in/hotels/new-delhi/welcomhoteldwarka.html 11. Participants are responsible for settling their room charges as well as other incidental expenses such as for internet use, telephone calls, laundry, etc. directly at the reception before checking out. Daily Subsistence Allowance 12. On the first day of the workshop, participants whose travel is sponsored by ESCAP, will receive a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) to cover all expenses associated with their participation in the workshop. 13. Payment of the DSA will be made against submission to the responsible ESCAP staff of a copy of the passport and of the air-ticket along with the original boarding pass(es) for the flight(s) to New Delhi. In order to speed up the payment process, eligible participants are requested to come with ready-made copies of these documents. The current DSA for New Delhi is US$215, which the amount is subject to change without prior notice. 14. ESCAP will pay DSA up to 2 August. Participants, who wish to stay longer in New Delhi, will have to cover all additional expenses by themselves. 15. Participants who are unable to stay for the entire duration of the workshop are requested to inform the ESCAP staff as soon as possible after arrival so that the DSA can be adjusted accordingly. 16. In those cases where the participation costs are borne by ESCAP, the secretariat will provide only for travel and prescribed DSA and will not assume responsibility for any other expenditure, including the following: (i) expenses in the home country incidental to travel abroad, including expenditure for visa, medical examination, inoculation and other such miscellaneous items, as well as internal travel to and from the airport of arrival and departure in the home country; (ii) salary and related allowances for the participants during the period of the workshop; (iii) cost incurred by participants in respect of travel insurance, accident insurance, medical bills or hospitalization fees in connection with attending the workshop; (iv) compensation in the event of death or disability of participants in connection with attending the workshop; (v) any loss of or damage to personal property of participants while attending the workshop or losses or damages claimed by third parties as a result of any negligence on the part of the participants; (vi) any other expense of a personal nature, not directly related to the purpose of the workshop. 2
Weather 17. The weather in New Delhi in August is normally hot and humid with temperatures in the range of 25 C to 35 C. Being the monsoon season, rain can be expected during this period. Smoking 18. There is no smoking permitted in the meeting rooms. Foreign Exchange 19. The basic currency of India is the Rupee. Foreign bank notes and travellers cheques can be converted into Rupee at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchange outlets. The exchange rate as of June 2017 is about 68 rupees for one US dollar. 20. Banking hours are usually from 09:00 hours to 14:00 hours on weekdays. Credit cards, such as Visa, American Express, and MasterCard are accepted at major hotels and department stores. Electricity Supply 21. The standard electricity supply is 220 volts AC/60 cycles; however, 110-volt sockets are also available at most hotels. Airline Reservations 22. Most airlines no longer require that return flights be re-confirmed. However, participants are responsible for checking airline requirements applicable to their travel arrangements. C. Conduct of the Workshop 23. The inaugural session of the workshop will be addressed by Mr. K. L. Thapar, Chairman, AITD after the introductory remarks by Mr. Fedor Kormilitsyn, Economic Affairs Officer in the Transport Infrastructure Section, Transport Division, ESCAP. Officers Concerned with Servicing the Workshop 24. The officials of the Transport Division of ESCAP involved in the organization of the workshop are: (i) Mr. Fedor Kormilitsyn, Economic Affairs Officer, Tel. +66-2-288 2496, Email: kormilitsyn@un.org (ii) Mr. Ryan Carvalho, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Tel: +66-2-288 1570, Email: carvalhor@un.org, 25. Questions, if any, relating to organizational arrangements, including travel, may be addressed to: Ms. May Twin Lwin, Tel. +66-2-288 1723, Email: lwinm@un.org. 26. Details of contact person of AITD in New Delhi, India Mr. Lalit Malhotra, Mobile: +91-9818020709 Email: asianinstitute.del@gmail.com Workshop Documents 27. Background documents in relation to the workshop as well as this Information Note can be downloaded at: http://www.unescap.org/events/regional-framework-development-dry-ports-internationalimportance-capacity-building-workshop Working Language 28. All sessions of the workshop will be conducted in English only. Presentations 3
29. During the workshop, participants will have an opportunity to make a brief statement or presentation. A computer with Microsoft PowerPoint, a projector and microphone will be available in the meeting room for presentations/statements. 30. Participants wishing to make a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint are requested to provide a soft copy of the presentation to ESCAP ahead of the workshop. 31. To facilitate time management, delegations are requested to limit their presentations/statements to not more than 15 minutes. Additional information, if any, can be circulated in the form of documents. * * * 4
Annex 1 UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Capacity building Workshop on the Implementation of the Regional Framework for the Development of Dry Ports of International Importance 1-2 August 2018, New Delhi, India Day 1: 01 August 2018 Opening Session TENTATIVE PROGRAMME 08.30 09.00 hrs. Registration of participants 09.00 09.15 hrs. 1. Opening remarks Representative of ESCAP Transport Division Representative of Asian Institute of Transport Development, AITD 09.15 0940 hrs. 2. Status of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports Mr. Ryan Carvalho, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Transport Infrastructure Section, Transport Division, ESCAP 09.40 10.00 hrs. 3. Regional Framework for the Development of Dry Ports of International Importance Mr. Fedor Kormilitsyn, Economic Affairs Officer, Transport Infrastructure Section, Transport Division, ESCAP 10.00 10.30 hrs. Coffee Break 10.30 11.00 hrs. 4. Introduction to dry ports and the transport network 11.00 12.00 hrs. 5. Country presentations on dry port policies and development in South Asia Representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan and India 12.00 13.30 hrs. Lunch 13.30 14.30 hrs. 6. Country presentations on dry port policies and development in South Asia Representatives of Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka 14.30 15.00 hrs. 7. Policy issues and financing of dry ports 15.00 15.30 hrs. Coffee Break 5
15.30 16.00 hrs. 8. UN location codes (UN/LOCODE) and their importance for dry ports of international importance Ms. Yang Zhang, UN/CEFACT Support Unit, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division, UNECE (to be confirmed) 16.00 17.00 hrs. 9. Development and operation of dry ports in South Asia: Challenges and opportunities Representative of AITD Day 2: 02 August 2018 09.00 10.00 hrs. 10. Case study on dry port development: Introduction 10.00 10.30 hrs. Coffee Break 10.30 12.00 hrs. 11. Case study 1: Economic benefits of dry ports 12.00 13.30 hrs. Lunch 13.30 15.00 hrs. 12. Case study 2: Designing and operating dry ports 15.00 15.30 hrs. Coffee Break 15.30 17.00 hrs. 13. Question & Answer session on dry port development 17.00 17.15 hrs. Closing Remarks 6