Practical information

	Your Arrival In Geneva
	Accommodation
	Venue
	Exhibition Space
	Common Space
	Reimbursements
	Visa Information
	General Information

Your Arrival in Geneva

For people arriving to Geneva by plane, there will be a GFMD Civil Society Welcome Desk waiting to welcome you at Geneva Airport Cointrin on November 28th, from 9:00 hrs until 21:00 hrs (one day before the conference). Please keep your accommodation information ready. Our team will be happy to show you the shortest way from the airport to your hotel / hostel.

Hotel accommodation in Geneva includes free public transport in the city of Geneva. The Geneva Transport Card will be provided upon check-in at the hotels. If not, please ask your hotel for this.

This courtesy also applies for public transport from the airport to the hotels. For this purpose, don’t forget to avail yourself of a free public transport ticket at Geneva International Airport upon arrival. The “TPG” machines that provide these free tickets are located in the baggage halls.

For further information on transport in Geneva, please visit:

• Transports Publics Genevois, www.tpg.ch
• Swiss National Railways, www.sbb.ch
• Geneva Taxi service, www.taxi-phone.ch

We would like to remind you that, in November, Geneva experiences an average temperature of about 5C (41F). The weather is generally fairly settled but rainfalls may be expected. Please make sure that you bring sufficiently warm clothes and rain protection. For the local weather forecast please visit: http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/en/weather.html

For the “Cultural Evening” – evening 29 November. We invite participants to wear their traditional/folk/ethnic attire.

Accommodation

Participants are responsible for making their own accommodation arrangements. The hotel room reservation is separate from the registration for the event and should be done directly with the hotel. Special rates have been negotiated by the CSD Coordinating Office with various hotels in downtown Geneva and close to Palexpo. For moreinformation about accomodations, please click here.

 Venue

The GFMD Civil Society Days will take place in Palexpo Conference Center. Please visit www.palexpo.ch for detailed information. In the Conference Center, you will have access to telephone services and wireless internet.

A Welcome and Registration Desk will await you in the Palexpo Main Hall during the conference days. Upon arrival at the venue in the morning of November 29, our team will provide you with a welcome kit, your badge and general information on the event. Please make sure that you arrive at Palexpo on time – latest 8:30am.

The official languages of the GFMD are English, French and Spanish. During all sessions of the GFMD Civil Society Days, simultaneous interpretation will be available in all three languages. 

During the GFMD Civil Society Days, meals, coffee and refreshments will be provided for all participants (taking into account dietary restrictions that have been mentioned in the registration process).

(The states meetings of the GFMD on 1 and 2 December will be held at Palais de Nations, Geneva)

Directions
The venue of the GFMD Civil Society Days, Palexpo, is conveniently located close to the train station at the airportand can be easily reached from the center of Geneva by bus (bus stop Palexpo, bus 5) or by train (take any train for the main train station in Geneva center “Cornavin” to the airport, follow the signs from there. Our GFMD Civil Society Welcome Desk at Geneva Airport will gladly assist you with directions and transport information on 28th November.

For more information about local transportation in Geneva, see: www.tpg.ch

Map
http://map.search.ch/grand-saconnex/palexpo

Please also see the access map here:
http://www.geneva-palexpo.ch/en/Palexpo/Acces/index.php

Exhibition Space

Delegates who wish to display printed materials published by the organizations they represent such as brochures, books and posters are welcome to do so.A few tables will be available for delegates to place a single set of flyers or brochures. For more than that, please keep in mind that tables are available for rent. At the PALEXPO conference venue one of the foyers next to the session rooms is reserved for this purpose for the duration of the Civil Society Days so that delegates have time and space to exhibit.

If you are interested in renting a table, chairs and a panel please contact the Civil Society Days Coordinating office at blitz@gfmdcivilsociety.org for more information. Delegates who are already confirmed exhibitors will receive further details shortly.

Common Space

The Common Space with governments will take place on the morning of December 1 at “Palais des Nations” from 9:00 hrs until 13:00 hrs. To enter the venue, you will have to pass through UN security control (Pregny Gate of the Palais des Nations at 14, avenue de la Paix.Public transport: bus lines 8, 28, F, V and Z stop at "Appia"; bus lines 5 and 11 stop at "Nations"; Tramways 13 and 15 Terminus "Nations".) All participants that registered online and on time will receive a temporary UN pass during the civil society days to use during the common space. Apart from the UN badge, valid identity documents are required.

Reimbursements

If you benefit from financial support by the GFMD Coordinating Office, you will receive a separate message on the reimbursement procedure.

Visas

Foreign nationals require a valid and accepted travel document to enter Switzerland. In addition, a Schengen visa is required in certain cases, as well as travel insurance. The website of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs features an information page listing all Swiss representations in the world. For each country, information about the Swiss representation responsible for visa matters is provided. If Switzerland does not have an embassy or consulate in the respective country, the information page mentions, which Swiss representation in a neighbouring country is responsible for visa issuance.

Entry to Switzerland and Visa Regulations

A. Basic requirements for entry to Switzerland

• Foreign nationals require a valid and accepted travel document to enter Switzerland.
• In addition, a Schengen visa is required in certain cases.
• Travel insurance is generally required for entry to Switzerland.
  
  For further or detailed information on visa requirements, please visit the website of the Swiss Federal Office for Migration: http://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/home/themen/einreise/merkblatt_einreise.html

B. Visa regulations for holders of ordinary passports

YOU DO NOT NEED A SWISS (SCHENGEN) VISA IF YOU ARE:

• A citizen of a Schengen country:

• a third state citizen in possession of a valid permanent residence permit issued by a Schengen state and a recognized and valid travel document

• a citizen of a member country of the European Union or of the European Free Trade Agreement:

• a citizen of the following countries:

• a holder ofa valid Schengen visa (not expiring before your departure from Switzerland)

Please note that the above-mentioned requirements for visa procurement should be treated as general guidelines and that in certain cases exemptions may apply.

C. Conditions for visa application

In any other case not mentioned under b) and c), you need to obtain a Schengen visa.

Please note that visas will only be issued by the Swiss consular office in charge of your place of residence.

No visa will be issued at any Swiss point of entry.

If you need a visa, it is strongly recommended that you start your visa application process as soon as possible, taking into account that formal registration at the competent Swiss consular office can only take place at the earliest three months before the date of travel.

Please note that the above-mentioned visa regulations should be treated as general guidelines and that exemptions may apply in certain cases.

For further assistance or information about visa, please contact: registration@gfmdcivilsociety.org

General information

Map of Geneva
http://map.search.ch/geneva

Restaurants
Please use the Geneva Tourism search engine to find your preferred restaurant:
http://www.geneva-tourism.ch/?rubrique=0000000005

Tourist office
http://www.geneva-tourism.ch/?lang=_eng

Weather
Switzerland has a temperate climate. In November, Geneva experiences an average temperature of about 5C (41F). The weather is generally fairly settled but rainfalls may be expected. For the local weather forecast please visit: http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/en/weather.html

Electricity
Voltage: 230 V; Plug J.
Depending where you come from, you will need a voltage converter, and plug adapter. We recommend getting a universal adapter and converter kit.

Telephone country code
Switzerland country code: (00) 41

Currency
Switzerland uses the Swiss franc (CHF). For updated currency exchange, please check following site: http://www.xe.com/ucc/. Indicative exchange rate as of 02 August 2011: 1 CHF = 1.28 USD.

Money
ATM machines are abundant; most accept major bank cards and credit cards, and they dispense Swiss francs at the going rate of exchange.