Information Note for Participants

Home , Alabang, Ayala Alabang, Filinvest, Filinvest City, Manila, Metro Manila

CBD

Distr. GENERAL

6 November 2019

ENGLISH ONLY REGIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP TO BUILD UNDERSTANDING AND CAPACITY ON GENDER AND BIODIVERSITY ISSUES IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA Manila, Philippines, 9 to 13 December 2019

INFORMATION NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS

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INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTS

Meeting Venue (Page 2) 1. OPENING AND REGISTRATION ...... 2

2. MEETING VENUE ...... 2

4. DOCUMENTS ...... 2 Visa Information (Page 3) 5. GENERAL INFORMATION ON ACCESS TO MANILA, PHILIPPINES ...... 2

6. VISA INFORMATION ...... 3

Meeting Documents (Page 2) 8. HOTEL INFORMATION ...... 4

10. WEATHER AND TIME ZONE INFORMATION ...... 5

Hotel Information (Page 4) 12. CURRENCY ...... 5

Weather Information (Page 5)

Currency information (page 5)

1. Opening and registration

The Regional Training Workshop to Build Understanding and Capacity on Gender and Biodiversity Issues in South-East Asia will be held in Manila, Philippines from Monday, 9 December to Friday, 13 December 2019.

Registration will take place at the venue of the meeting on 9 December, 8:30 a.m. and the workshop will start at 9:00 a.m.

2. Meeting venue

The workshop will be held at:

VIVERE HOTEL 5102 Bridgeway Avenue Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781 Philippines Tel: +632 8771 7777 Mobile:+63 917-6531777 (Vivere Hotel) E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://www.viverehotel.com.ph/

3. Working language

The workshop will be held in English.

4. Documents

In order to minimize the environmental footprint of the workshop and in line with the UN policy towards greener meetings, participants are kindly reminded to bring their own copies of the workshop documents, or to use paperless versions, as there will be no extra copies made available on site during the workshop. Documents are available on the following web page:

https://www.cbd.int/meetings/GB-WS-2019-01

5. General information on access to Manila, Philippines

The city of Manila is serviced by the Manila - Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Taxi service is available to NAIA and from all points of Metro Manila. Also, jeepney and bus routes are available to the airport and connect to all terminals. Take only official, metered or pre-booked taxis. Taxis charge around PHP 500.00 - PHP 610.00 (US $10 - US $12) to Alabang hotels. The trip takes from 45 minutes to one hour depending on traffic.

6. Visa information

Participants from countries listed at the link below do not require an entry visa for the Philippines. Those requiring a visa are strongly advised to contact the nearest Philippine diplomatic or consular mission as soon as possible in order to secure the required entry visa in a timely manner, prior to departure. Please note that some airline companies will not allow boarding in the absence of a valid visa.

Visa information/forms including list of visa exempt countries: https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/visainformation

Visa requirements: https://www.dfa.gov.ph/guidelines-requirements

List of Embassies and Consulates abroad: https://www.cfo.gov.ph/links/philippine-embassies-and-consulates-abroad.html

To facilitate the issuance of visas, the Secretariat will issue upon request invitation letters to be attached to the visa applications.

7. Payment of the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA)

The DSA will be disbursed to sponsored participants on the first day of the workshop in the form of a prepaid credit card. For identification purposes, these participants are kindly requested to bring their passports and boarding passes. These will be photocopied and returned to participants during the workshop. It is advisable that participants have some cash at hand to cover expenses that may occur between their arrival and the moment at which they are provided with the prepaid credit card from which they will access their DSA.

8. Hotel information

Participants are kindly reminded that they must make their own hotel reservations, and that they should do so as soon as possible. A list of suggested hotels for the Regional Workshop is available below:

THE BELLEVUE MANILA AZUMI BOUTIQUE HOTEL North Bridgeway, Filinvest City 2205 Market Street, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila Phase II Alabang Muntinlupa City 1780 Philippines 1781 Tel: +1-632 8 869 9888 Tel: +1-632-87718181 Fax: +1-632 8 894 2011 Fax: +1-632-87718282 Website: https://azumi.ph/contact-us/ E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://www.thebellevuemanila.com/

B HOTEL ALABANG SOMERSET ALABANG 2107 Prime St., Madrigal Business Park 3409 Spectrum Midway, Filinvest City, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City Muntinlupa City, Muntinlupa City, 1781 Manila Metro Manila 1781, Philippines Tel: +1-63 2 8643 0999 Tel: +1-632-8828-8181 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: Website: https://www.bhotelalabang.com/ https://www.somerset.com/en/philippines/manila/

CRIMSON HOTEL ACACIA HOTEL MANILA Entrata Urban Complex, 2609 Civic Drive, 5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Ave, Filinvest City Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines Muntinlupa City 1781 Tel: +1-63 2-8863-2222 T: +1-63 2-720 2000 / 588 5888 E-mail: [email protected] F: +1-63 2-478 4209 Website: https://crimsonhotel.com/ E: [email protected] Website: https://www.acaciahotelsmanila.com/ HOP INN HOTEL ALABANG Lot 2 Block 4 Phase 3, Market Street, Madrigal Business Park, Ayala Alabang, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines, 1780 Tel: +1-63 2 8296 1464 E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://www.hopinnhotel.com/

9. Official languages

There are two official languages in the Philippines: Filipino and English.

10. Weather and time zone information

In December, average temperatures in Manila usually range between a maximum of +31°C in the daytime and a minimum of +24°C at night. Current weather conditions in the area can be found at http://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=92.

The standard time zone in Manila is Philippine Time (PHT) and is equivalent to GMT/UTC +8 hours.

11. Electricity

The electrical currents in the Philippines are 220 Volts, 60 Hertz a as shown in the illustration below.

12. Currency

The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine Peso (PHP). The current exchange rate on 30 October 2019 is US $ 1.00 = PHP 50.8830 (source: www.xe.com, rates are subject to change).

13. Disclaimer

The CBD Secretariat disclaims all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability compensation, for loss of or damage to personal property and for any other loss that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation. In this context, it is strongly recommended to secure international medical, accident and travel insurance for the period of participation prior to departure.