20th April 2008

Logistical Info

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Ministerial Venue

The Fifth Ministerial Conference will take place in the Cancún Centro de Convenciones, located at the very tip of Punta Cancún (see map). The ground floor of the Conference Centre will house the Press Centre and public spaces, and will be accessible to accredited personnel (though non-governmental organisations will be limited to one person per NGO). Plenary sessions will also be open to accredited personnel. Floors 1 and 2 will house the negotiation venues, and will be available only to authorised participants (i.e. members of government delegations, WTO Secretariat).

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WHILE THE WTO MINISTERIAL IS SCHEDULED TO RUN FROM 10-14 SEPTEMBER, IN THE PAST IT HAS SOMETIMES GONE BEYOND ITS CLOSING DEADLINE. THIS MIGHT AFFECT BOTH HOTEL AND AIR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS.

Map

A detailed map of Cancun is posted here. An interactive hotel map is posted here.

NGO Centre

The NGO Centre will be located a 15-20 minute walk away from the Ministerial venue, in the Hotel Sierra. A continuous shuttle bus service will be available between the NGO Centre and the Convention Centre. It will be open from 7 am to midnight. Meeting and conference rooms, photocopy, telephone, fax and computer facilities will be available. A large meeting room of 400-500 person capacity will be made available for NGO briefings in the Hotel Fiesta Americana, next door to the Convention Centre.

Conference organisers and the WTO Secretariat are expecting 1500 - 2000 accredited NGO participants to attend, out of an expected 7000 - 10 000 participants.

Press Centre

The Press Centre will be located inside the Convention Centre.

Organising Committee

The Conference Organising Committee has posted a website. The Mexican government has appointed Melba Pria as the NGO coordinator, who will facilitate NGO activities and enquiries.

Accreditation

The deadline for non-governmental organisation (NGO) accreditation requests to the WTO has now passed. NGOs who have registered will be contacted as of 1 August. Further information on NGO accreditation is available on the WTO website. NGO accreditation has been limited to 3 persons per NGO, who will be required to share only one pass to the Ministerial Conference venue.

Press accreditation procedures are also underway for journalists; Further information is available on the WTO website.

Hotels

Conference organisers have identified 33 ‘official’ hotels with preferred rates and facilities that are also close to the Conference Centre. See Hotel Map on the Organising Committee website for the list. Groups and individuals attending the Ministerial are urged to make their own hotel bookings. Confirmation codes — contained in letters of accreditation from the WTO — are required to book hotels in the area around the Ministerial Conference. To book more than three rooms, groups must mail or fax a letter to their respective hotels outlining their particular needs, including their registration number. Four ‘red zone’ hotels have also been designated, primarily for government delegates (see Security, below).

Transport

Free shuttles between the Cancún airport and the ‘official’ hotels will be provided. A 24-hr. shuttle service will also be available between the hotels, the NGO Centre and the Convention Centre.

Security

A security perimeter will be set up around the Conference Centre and around the four ‘red zone’ hotels near the Conference Centre (Camino Real, Fiesta Americana, Hyatt Regency, NH Krystal). Those without accreditation will not have access to these areas.

Regarding demonstrations, the Mexican government has indicated that it will allow peaceful protests, but said that it would adhere to its law on public demonstrations, which it said was available online on the government’s website.

Visas

Special visa arrangements will be made for those accredited to the Ministerial Conference. Further information is available on Organising Committee’s website. Those who will not be accredited are urged to make appropriate visa enquiries in advance.

Weather

Expected meteorological conditions during the Ministerial in Cancún are 27-30 degrees Celsius and humid. Conference organisers recommend wearing light clothes if moving around outdoors.