Visa

Please note that the government of the Republic of South Africa does not issue visas on arrival in the country. Visitors must therefore ensure that they obtain visas from country of departure before traveling to the Republic of South Africa. However per note verbal from Department of Home affairs, ref 19/5/26/2/56 v2 as follows:

For persons involved with UNDP are exempt from South African visa control for bona fide holiday, business, accreditation purposes and transit as well as from temporary residence permit control in terms of actions 11(5)(a), 13(a) and 28(2) of the Aliens Control Act, 1991, respectively. The following categories of persons have also been exempted from the visa requirements:

a) UNDP official traveling on UNLP.
b) Persons performing services on behalf of UNDP.

Please ensure that you have suitable UN picture identification and letter of invitation as proof. If you have visa related inquiries or need a letter of invitation, please contact Andreina Botto (andreina.botto@undp.org) and cc. Zukiswa Luthayi (zukiswa.luthayi@undp.org).

Additionally, visas to enter the Republic of South Africa for bona fide holiday and business visits and transits, are not required by citizens of the following countries for the periods indicated:
Holders of passports of the following countries in respect of bona fide holiday and business visits (period unspecified), transits and re-entries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America.

Holders of passports of the following countries in respect of bona fide holiday and business visits not exceeding 90 days and transits: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Israel, Paraguay, St. Helena, Uruguay

Holders of passports of the following countries in respect of bona fide holiday and business visits not exceeding 30 days and transits: Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Egypt, Gabon, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Peru, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, South Korea, Swaziland, Thailand, Turkey, Zambia, (Zimbabwe-Government Officials Only).

Registration

All participants will be required to register a day before the workhshop starts. Registration will start on November 27th from 6pm - 9pm at the workshop secretariat. A sign indicating the location of the secretariat will be present at the hotel lobby.

Accommodation and Workshops Venue

The Workshops will be held at the Birchwood Executive Hotel. The address of the hotel is as follows:

Birchwood Executive Hotel
120 North Rand Road
Bartlett, Boksburg, 1627
Gauteng, South Africa
Tel: (011) 897 0000
Fax: (011) 897 0001
Visit on the web: www.birchwoodhotel.co.za

All Participants will be accommodated at the Birchwood Executive Hotel and the cost is covered by the Evaluation Office for 4 nights only, 27-30 Nov 2006. We have already made group hotel reservations so you do NOT need to contact the hotel nor Johannesburg Regional Service Centre. Participants are requested to settle all other expenses at their own cost (laundry, telephone bill, ect.) when check out of the hotel.

For government officials who need to come before 27 Nov and/or leave after 1 Dec due to unavailability of flights, accommodation will be arranged by the participant him/herself. EO will provide DSA for these extra days. Prior approval is required and request should be sent to Ms. Andreina Botto at the below contact address.

For UNDP CO staff, we will not be able to cover the cost of additional nights. However, if you inform us before Friday 10th of November, we will try to reserve a room for you at the Birchwood Executive Hotel for the additional nights needed.

You are kindly requested to share with us your itinerary as soon as it becomes available.

Buffet breakfast and lunch

Breakfast and lunch are pre-arranged as part of the conference from November 28th to December 1st. If you choose to have meals outside the pre-arranged hotel restaurant, the bill for this will have to be settled at your own cost. The participants are responsible for covering dinner and other expenses from the partial DSA provided by their respective country office (for CO staff) or by the EO (for government participants).

Each participant will be provided with a partial DSA (58 USD/day for 4 days) to cover dinner and other expenses.

Transportation from/to Airport

All participants and trainers will be picked up and dropped off at the hotel upon their arrival by Birchwood and UNDP vehicles.

The Birchwood Hotel has a fleet of 7 vehicles comprising of luxury coaches and microbuses. Transfers to and from JHB International Airport and to and from the East Rand Mall are free of charge.
The Birchwood Shuttle can be found outside terminal 2A, International arrivals at the designated Hotel “pick up” and “drop off” point situated outside the terminal buildings opposite the Airport Inter-Continental Hotel. The shuttles leave from the airport for the Hotel every 10 past the hour on the hour.

Financing Travel and DSA

Participants at the workshop will be Country Office (CO) Staff and representatives from the Government counterpart agency responsible for planning or making decisions on evaluation. The CO will arrange air ticket for both CO staff and national counterpart. The financing arrangement is as follows:

For Country Office Staff:

The CO will cover airticket + terminal expenses + partial DSA (at 58 USD/day for 4 days) and additional accommodation cost if applicable.

For Government Counterparts:

The Evaluation Office will cover the cost of air ticket, terminal expenses and partial DSA for 1 national counterpart from each country. The CO is requested to make arrangements for the travel and submit travel itinerary and estimated cost to Ms. Andreina Botto, andreina.botto@undp.org, for approval before issuing the ticket. Voucher for reimbursement of all costs should be prepared using the COA (to be provided in a separated email to COs) and notified to Andreina for our further action.

Please be informed that the workshop is scheduled to end at 1pm on Friday December 1st and please make your travel arrangements accordingly, preferably no earlier than 4pm for international flights.

Immunization

All participants from Malaria areas are expected to bring their immunization cards. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travelers coming from infected areas.

Currency

The currency in South Africa is the rand. One American dollar is worth approximately 7.64 rands. For the latest exchange rate, please visit:
http://intra.undp.org/ofa/exrates/exrate.htm

Credit Cards

Most establishments accept credit cards. Commonly accepted credit cards are MasterCard and Visa with Diners Club and American Express being less favored.

Voltage

The voltage in South Africa is 220-240 V at 50-60 Hz. If you wish to use electrical appliances such as shavers and tape recorders you will need to carry an adapter or voltage converter or buy one when you arrive. Although most laptops are designed for travelers and auto-sense and auto-switch between 100 and 240 volts, participants need to check for this capability before bringing their equipment to South Africa. Moreover, if your laptop does not have the right plug, you will need to bring a plug adapter.

Climate

South Africa enjoys a temperate and pleasant climate, with warm sunny days most of the year. The seasons of the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere so the summer season extends from November to February. The temperature ranges between 5-10 degrees Celsius (41-50 F) at night to 23 (73.5 F) degrees during the day.

Equipment

Everyone has been requested to bring a laptop for small group work during the workshops. Laptops/computers will not be provided at the training. Please see voltage and socket plug information below.