Information for Participants

Download the Information for Participants brochure in English.

Venue of the meeting

The meeting of the Open-ended Working Group will be held at the following venue:
United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)
United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters (UNEP)
United Nations Avenue
Gigiri,
00200 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel.: +254 20 7621234

Access to the UN Gigiri Complex is via UN Avenue. Pedestrian access is through the Pavilion north of the main vehicle access. More information about the UNON complex is available on the following UNON website: http://www.unon.org/.

Registration

The names and contact information of your designated representatives (including postal addresses, telephone numbers, facsimile numbers and e-mail addresses, where available) should be communicated to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention using the registration form. Please refer to the invitation letter for further details or contact:

Ms. Stéphanie Cadet
Tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group
Secretariat of the Basel Convention
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
International Environment House 1 (IEH-1)
11-13 chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine
Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 (0) 22 917 83 24
E-mail: Stephanie.cadet@brsmeas.org

On-site registration will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, 29 May 2016, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, 30 May 2016, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the remaining days of the meeting.

All meeting participants must collect their security identification badges at the registration desks upon presentation of one of the identification documents issued by a government recognised by the United Nations (valid national passport; valid picture identification card, in Latin alphabets; valid picture "residency" card, in Latin alphabets; or valid picture driver’s licence, in Latin alphabets).

For those not previously admitted as observers, security identification badges are only issued after the Secretariat has received the necessary application form and supporting documents for the admissions procedure.

More information on necessary security identification documentation is available here.

Schedule of the meeting

Preparatory meetings, including regional and Bureau meetings, will be held on Sunday, 29 May 2016. Information on the preparatory meetings will be announced on the website of the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (https://www.basel.int/oewg10). The meeting will be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, 30 May 2016. The working languages of the meeting will be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Pursuant to paragraph 2 of decision BC-12/19, the meeting will be of four days’ duration, with up to three days of plenary sessions with simultaneous interpretation provided, to be applied flexibly by the Executive Secretary.

Side events

Requests for side events should be sent no later than 29 April 2016 to:

Ms. Kei Ohno Woodall
Secretariat of the Basel Convention
E-mail: kei.ohno-woodall@brsmeas.org
Tel.: +41 (22) 917 82 01

Up to two side events can be held in parallel during lunch breaks and in the evenings following the plenary sessions. If more requests for side events are received than there are slots available, organizers of side events may be invited to organize joint events. As the number of slots available for side events is limited, they will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

A draft schedule of side events will be published approximately three weeks prior to the meeting.

Exhibitions and the sending of promotional material

Requests for exhibitions should be sent no later than 29 April 2016 to:

Ms. Digna Francisco
Secretariat of the Basel Convention
E-mail: digna.francisco@brsmeas.org
Tel.: +41 22 917 82 96

Paperless meeting

The meeting will be paperless; printed documents will not be available at the meeting. Pre-session documents will be made available on our meeting website (https://www.basel.int/oewg10) and in-session documents (such as conference room papers) will be available electronically via wireless intranet or USB key only.

Making a meeting paperless considerably reduces its cost and carbon footprint. A paperless meeting also makes it easier for participants to locate documents and allows for the faster preparation and distribution of conference room papers.

To facilitate the paperless nature of the meeting, participants are requested to ensure the following:

  • Each participant should bring a laptop computer containing basic applications, including Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Reader and updated antivirus software.
  • Laptops should be pre-checked for viruses and confirmed as virus-free prior to arrival at the meeting. Virus free laptops are crucial to the success of a paper-smart meeting.
  • Participants should bring a memory stick that has been pre-checked for viruses for the purpose of transferring documents.
  • Laptops should be configured for a standard wireless (wi-fi) connection. If in doubt, please check with your local information technology expert. Participants should bring an appropriate adaptor to enable laptops to be connected to Swiss power sockets.
  • When completing the meeting registration form, participants should include a current e-mail address so that they can be sent correspondence relating to the meeting.

Visas

It is the responsibility of each participant to obtain the required entry visa for Kenya. Please also ensure that you are in possession of any necessary transit visa(s), depending upon your final itinerary. The information provided herein acts only as guidance. A valid passport, not expiring for at least six months from date of arrival is required for entry into Kenya. A valid entry visa is also required for most countries and may be obtained in advance from the Kenyan Embassy or High Commission in your country of residence. In the absence of either, the British Embassy will generally represent Kenya in the issuance of visas.

Visas can also be obtained upon arrival. Nationals of some countries require special advance visa clearance by the Kenyan authorities.

More information about visa can be found on the following UNON website at: http://www.unon.org/.

For more information regarding visas, please contact the Kenya Immigration website or UNON Travel and Visas Unit (Tel.: +254 20 762 35 80).

Health Information

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for travellers coming from countries where yellow fever may occur. Immunization against yellow fever is recommended for travellers from other countries. Malaria risk exists throughout the year in Kenya; though there is a little risk in Nairobi and the highlands therefore, it is advised that you take precautions while travelling out of these areas. The United Nations does not cover life or medical insurance for participants. Therefore, it is your responsibility or that of your Government to ensure that you obtain adequate insurance prior to your travel to Kenya.

For further advice on vaccinations recommended for visitors to Kenya, please contact your doctor or the UNON Medical Clinic: +254 20 762 2267. The clinic also has an emergency line: +254 20 762 5999.

Accommodation

Please note that participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. The Secretariat encourages all participants to make such arrangements at the earliest possible.

A list of recommended hotels and guest houses in Nairobi, indicative rates and information on some complementary services (including transfers from the airport to the hotels) is available on the UNON website (https://dcs.unon.org/; https://dcs.unon.org/sites/default/files/Hotel%20Rates%20-%202015.pdf).

Local transportation and security

Most international visitors will arrive through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is half-an-hour’s drive from the Nairobi city centre, depending on the traffic. Kindly note the unpredictability of the traffic. While there is only 25 km from the airport to the UN compound, the trip can take between 45 to 120 minutes, depending on the time and day.

Many hotels provide courtesy shuttle services to/from airport and in some cases from the hotel to the UN compound. Visitors should pre-advise their hotel of their transportation needs. In the absence of a courtesy bus, participants may use reputable taxi companies. Recommended taxi companies are listed below:
    • Hilltop: +254 20 272 3218
    • Jatco: +254 20 444 8162/6096
    • Jimcab: +254 20 712 2565/712 0344
    • Kenatco: +254 20 230771/2 or 3166117

Participants are required to make their own travel arrangements to and from the airport!

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and the Kenyan Authorities are working closely together to ensure that all precautionary measures are taken for delegate’s safety and security. However, participants are personally responsible for their movements. If you intend to stay in a hotel, it is recommended to choose accommodation from the list of hotels available on the UNON website (please refer to section I, paragraph 16).

For your own safety, kindly read and follow the below listed tips:

  1. Avoid crowded areas such as malls;
  2. When walking, keep to the main roads and avoid shortcuts down back alleys and the like. However, where possible, take a taxi rather than walking;
  3. Never walk at night in the city center even for a short distance - always take a taxi;
  4. Be wary of people loitering outside hotels;
  5. Ignore street children and people coming up to you in the streets with hard-luck tales.
  6. Do not carry large sum of money. Avoid wearing expensive jewellery, watches or the like when walking in the street;
  7. Always carry some form of identification, and the address and phone number of your hotel.
  8. Ask the concierge at your hotel to recommend places where you can go out to walk, jog or shop.
  9. We suggest that you use the taxi service offered by the hotel to go to restaurants to eat out at night.

Emergency numbers:

UNON Security: +254 20 762 66 66
Kenyan Police: +254 999 or +254 20 272 42 01
Diplomatic Police: +254 726 28 30 30 or +254 735 35 65 06
Nairobi Hospital: +254 20 284 50 00
Aga Khan Hospital: +254 20 366 20 00

Electricity

Participants are kindly requested to bring their own power adaptors.

240 Volts, British Standard AC plug (BS 1363).
You may need to bring a plug adaptor.

Currency

The official currency of the Republic of Kenya is the Kenyan Shilling (KES). Foreign currency can be changed at JKIA, banks, foreign currency Exchange Bureaus or hotels. Banks in major centers are open from 09:00 to 15:00hrs Monday to Friday and from 09:00 to 12:00hrs on the first and last Saturday of each month. Exchange places are available near or at the UN compound in Nairobi. Major international credit cards are accepted in most hotels and restaurants in Nairobi.