ERC/02/INF/1

1. The FAO Regional Conference for Europe will be held at the Forum Hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus from 29 to 31 May 2002. The Inaugural Ceremony will start at 10.00 hours on Wednesday, 29 May 2002 in Room LEDRA A. The afternoon session and subsequent sessions of the Plenary will also take place in LEDRA A.

2. The normal working hours of the Conference will be from 09.30 to 12.30 in the morning and from 14.30 to 17.30 hours in the afternoon, unless otherwise decided by the Conference.

3. An Order of the Day will be issued daily, giving detailed information of the Conference business, the timetable of meetings, items to be discussed and other information of general interest.

4. FAO will provide the Secretary of the Conference, assisted by a number of FAO staff whose names and functions will be included in a list to be issued on the first day of the Conference.

5. Simultaneous interpretation for the Regional Conference will be provided in English, French, German and Spanish. The documentation will be issued in English, French and Spanish.

6. For the duration of the Conference, an FAO Information Officer, assisted by a Press Officer of the Government of Cyprus, will provide contacts with the press and be responsible for matters concerning information to the public.

7. An accreditation desk will be in place at the Conference venue and journalists are requested to bring two passport-size photographs and a letter of assignment from their editor or employer.

8. The working documents will be sent to all governments and organizations invited, before the holding of the Conference. Documents drafted during the Conference will be available at the documents distribution desk, outside the Conference hall. The desk will also deliver mail and messages and deal with general inquiries.

9. Delegates who wish to submit draft recommendations or other documents requiring a decision by the Conference are requested to hand their texts in English, French or Spanish to the Conference Secretary, if possible in three typewritten copies. Delegates wishing to circulate other written material related to the Agenda of the Conference are requested to deliver 100 copies in English, 50 copies in French and 20 in Spanish to the Secretariat for distribution.

10. When prepared speeches or statements are to be made, it would help the Secretariat and ensure accuracy in interpretation, if four typed copies of the texts were handed to the Conference Secretary beforehand.

11. All correspondence concerning the Regional Conference should be addressed to the Conference Secretary at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and to the Government Liaison Officer at the addresses below:

- Conference Secretary

FAO Regional Office for Europe

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla

00100 Rome

Tel.: (39) 06 57053499

Fax: (39) 06 57055634

E-mail: [email protected]

- Liaison Officer (FAO Conference)

Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment

Loukis Akritas Avenue

1411 Nicosia

Tel.: +357-22300850

Fax: +357-22774234

E-mail: [email protected]

12. Postal, telephone and facsimile services will be provided at the Conference premises as well as a travel and tourist information desk.

13. Travellers to Cyprus requiring an entry visa are advised to obtain one from a diplomatic mission or consulate of Cyprus prior to the date of travel. In the event that no diplomatic mission or consulate exists in a particular country, travellers should inform, the Liaison Officer and the Conference Secretary, at the addresses indicated in paragraph 11 above, providing full name as in the travel document, date and place of birth, nationality, passport number, date and place of issue, validity and expected duration of stay in Cyprus, in order to ensure that a visa will be granted on arrival. This information should preferably be sent four weeks prior to arrival in Cyprus.

14. Participants are advised to provide advance notice, at least six weeks prior to arrival, of the name of carrier, flight number, time of arrival and other related information to the Liaison Officer in Nicosia with copy to the Conference Secretary, to ensure that they are properly met on arrival at the International Airport of Larnaca or Paphos. Participants are advised to mark their luggage clearly in order to facilitate identification.

15. The authorities of Cyprus will make special arrangements for participants on their arrival, assist them with formalities regarding immigration, visas, customs, collection of luggage and provide them with transport to their respective hotels.

16. All participants to the Conference are advised to finalize, at an early date, return travel arrangements and, immediately on arrival in Cyprus, contact the travel desk at the Conference premises for special internal visits for spouses and for the reconfirmation of their departure date and time. (The airport of Larnaca is about 35 minutes drive from the town of Nicosia).

17. There are no limitations on the amount of foreign currency brought into Cyprus. The foreign exchange and banks will provide the necessary information and measure of exchange rates and transfer. The monetary unit is the Cyprus Pound. At the time of going to press the exchange rate is approximately CY£0.60 for 1 US dollar. Credit cards are acceptable and widely used in Cyprus.

18. Medical and first aid services will be available at the Conference premises.

19. All hotel accommodation will be managed by the "Pyrgos Congress Ltd" the local travel agency entrusted with arrangements for the Conference. Delegates are kindly requested to submit the hotel reservation form appearing in Annex A, on page 5 by sending the original to the above agency (Fax. +357-22781031) with copy to the Conference Secretary (Fax +39-06-57055634, and the Conference Liaison Officer in Nicosia (Fax. +357-22774234) as soon as possible and in any event not later than 5 April 2002.

20. Accommodation will be available for participants and their families at the hotels listed in Annex B on page 6.

21. All delegates and observers are requested to register, soon after arrival, at the Hotel Forum so that they can be provided with identification tags. The registration desk will be open on Tuesday, 28 May 2002 from 10.00 to 18.00 hours and on Wednesday, 29 May 2002 from 08.00 to 10.00 hours. The Conference Secretariat will issue a Provisional List of Participants on the first day of the Conference. The secretariat should be notified of any corrections or additions to this list. Only registered participants will be issued with special badges, which will permit them to enter the Conference meeting venues.

22. The weather in Cyprus in May is generally pleasant and warm. Average temperatures are between 31 (day) and 16 (night) degrees Celsius.

23. The voltage in Cyprus is 220-240 volts AC (HZ).

24. At the invitation of the Host Government, delegates will have the opportunity of participating in a study tour to an agricultural site of interest. Delegates wishing to participate in the Study Tour, which will take place on Friday, 31 May are kindly requested to contact the staff at the documents distribution desk so that the Host Government can make the necessary arrangements. More details on the study tour will be available on the spot and disseminated in advance through the Order of the Day. The Host Government is also envisaging to organize a tour for accompanying spouses. More details will be available on arrival and relevant information and modalities disseminated through the Order of the Day.

25. A Travel and Tourist desk will be available at the Forum Hotel in order to enable participants to plan excursions or visits within Cyprus before and after the Conference and to reconfirm their return flights.

26. Accommodation at seaside hotels can be arranged through the "Pyrgos Congress Ltd". Indicative prices for such hotels appear in Annex C page 7.

ANNEX A

1. Name:
2. Country/Organization:
3. Title and positions:
4. Postal Address:
Fax number:
5. Attending as: Delegate Observer Secretariat
6. Accompanied by spouse: Yes No
Name of spouse:
7. Dates of anticipated stay in Cyprus: from to
8. Arrival information: Date: Hour:
Airline and flight No.: From (city):
Departure information: Date: Hour:
Airline and flight No.: To (city):
9. Hotel accommodation desired:
Forum Hotel Single Double Suite
Hilton Hotel Single Double Suite
Classic Hotel Single Double
10. Please indicate hotel names by order of preference:

11. Credit Card details
Visa Eurocard Mastercard
Card No.: Expiry date:
Delegate's signature: Date:
NOTE: Each participant is required to complete the above form in duplicate and send one copy to each of the addresses below as soon as possible, preferably six weeks before the Conference, even if complete flight information is unavailable. Flight information details could be sent by fax at a later date.

ANNEX B

N.B. Above prices have been arranged for the Conference and include buffet-breakfast.

ANNEX C

The tourist agency "Pyrgos Congress Ltd." which has been entrusted with arrangements for the Conference will arrange suitable accommodation on request, at any seaside hotel, according to preference. A variety of hotels with different facilities offered is available in the seaside towns of Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca and Paralimni. Indicative prices in selected five star hotels are given below:

The list is not exhaustive. Suitable accommodation can be arranged in direct contact with the travel agency.