FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 January 2012 E NEAR EAST FORESTRY AND RANGE COMMISSION TWENTIETH SESSION SECOND NEAR EAST FORESTRY WEEK ANTALYA, TURKEY 29 JANUARY – 02 FEBRUARY 2012 Good Governance of Forests and Rangelands : Pillar of Food Security INFORMATION NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS DATES AND VENUE 1. At the kind invitation of the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the Twentieth Session of the Near East Forestry and Range Commission (NEFRC) and the Second Near East Forestry Week will be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 29 January to 2 February 2012. 2. The opening ceremony of the NEFRC will take place at Hotel Vogue Avant Guarde, Antalya, and will start at 09:00 am on Sunday, 29 January 2012. REGISTRATION AND ENROLMENT 3. Participants are requested to kindly complete the attached registration form and return it as soon as possible to the three addresses indicated. Registration will take place from 08:00 to 08:45 hours at Hotel Vogue Avant Guarde, Antalya. This document is printed in limited numbers to minimize the environmental impact of FAO's processes and contribute to climate neutrality. Delegates and observers are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and to avoid asking for additional copies. Most FAO meeting documents are available on the Internet at WWW.FAO.ORG W0000 2 FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 DOCUMENTATION 4. The meeting documents will be made available to participants in Arabic and English. To the extent possible they will be sent out before the sessions and posted on the NEFRC Commission website: http://www.fao.org/forestry/31112/en/ and http://neareast.fao.org/Pages/Events.aspx?id=788&lang=EN&I=0&DId=0&CId=0&CMSId=685 . Delegates are kindly requested to take their own documents to the meeting since very few copies will be available during the sessions. EXHIBITION 5. A space for exhibition will be provided, for reservation and more information, please contact Mr Abdurrahman KOK ( [email protected], Cel: +90 5325054022 ), Mrs.Kamuran OZBAY ([email protected], cel: +90 505 8986565) , Mr Mevlut Duzgun ([email protected], CEL: +90 312 207 58 23 ). CLIMATE / CLOTHES 6. Turkey is situated in western Asia, mostly in the Anatolian peninsula and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria and Greece to the northwest, Georgia to the northeast, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east, and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west, and the Black sea is to the north. The climate is temperate in the coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have a temperate Oceanic climate with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters. The Turkish Black Sea coast receives the greatest amount of precipitation and is the only region of Turkey that receives high precipitation throughout the year. The eastern part of that coast averages 2,000 millimeters annually which is the highest precipitation in the country. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Sea of Marmara (including Istanbul), which connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, have a transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters. Snow does occur on the coastal areas of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea almost every winter, but it usually lies no more than a few days. Snow on the other hand is rare in the coastal areas of the Aegean Sea and very rare in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya, due to its beaches is a popular destination for swimming and water sports. It was the first tourist destination in Turkey. It is located in in south-west Anatolia, on the Mediterranean Gulf of Antalya. In January, the average temperature in Antalya is 10 C. The maximum temperature is 24C with minimum 5 C (night). 7. The official spoken languages during the meetings are Arabic, English and Turkish. FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 3 FORMALITIES FOR ENTERING TURKEY VISAS 8. Participants are advised to contact as soon as possible the nearest Embassy or Consular Mission of the Republic of Turkey in their respective countries, to enquire about immigration regulations and visa requirements to enter Turkey. 9. For delegates coming from countries where no Turkish diplomatic representation exists, the National Organizing Committee could help to obtain an entry visa on arrival at Istanbul or Antalya airports, provided that passport details are sent at least three weeks before the arrival date. It must be noted however, that a visa fee may be required, including for holders of UN/ laissez-passer and diplomatic passports. HEALTH 10. No vaccination is required to travel to Turkey FLIGHT CONNECTIONS 11. The following are some of the airline companies from the Region flying to Istanbul and Antalya International Airport: Turkish Airlines, Anadolujet, Sunexpress, Pegasus Airlines, Onurair. 12. Participants having confirmed in due time the date, time and flight number will be met at Antalya airport on their arrival. MONEY AND EXCHANGE 13. Most convertible currencies can be carried to Turkey and should be declared on arrival. The exchange rates in January 2012 is as follow: 1Euro = 2.3600 TL; 1USD = 1.86107TL. Credit Cards are accepted in most places. COMMUNICATIONS/ LIAISON AGENT 14. Participant's personal correspondence can be addressed to the attention of: Mr Abdurrahman KÖK Deputy Head of Foreign Relations Training & Research Department Division Director Of Relations with International Institutions General Directorate of Forestry 1 Nolu Bina 06560 Ankara-Turkey Tel.(work):+90 312 2481729 Fax:+90 312 2481802 Mob.:+90 5325054022 E-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 4 FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 STUDY TOURS AND EXCURSIONS 15. A FIELD TRIP WILL BE ORGANIZED ON THE 1ST FEBRUARY. HOTEL ACCOMMODATION AND CATERING 16. The hotel identified for participants is Hotel Vogue Avant Guarde, Antalya. Rates have been negotiated for all participants to: - 55 EURO per night per person for all included in single room. - 42 EURO per night per person for all included in double room. Main criteria in the choice of this hotel were Premium quality– price ratio (very reasonable) proximity to the city centre; Participants can make reservations directly or have reservations made for them upon request (at least ten days in advance ) c/o Mr Abdurrahman KÖK or Mrs. Kamuran ÖZBAY. 17. The conference center is located in Hotel Vogue Avant Guarde. Hotel details are available at http://www.avantgardevoguehotel.com/home.php?p=1&l=en. TRANSPORTATION 18. Transportation will be provided by the hosting country from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport. Please send your flight details to Mr Abdurrahman KÖK ([email protected]) FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 5 20TH SESSION OF THE NEAR EAST FORESTRY AND RANGE COMMISSION ANTALYA, REPUBLIC OF TURKEY, 29 January – 2 February 2012 REGISTRATION FORM Please complete this form and send a copy as soon as possible but not later than 15 December 2011 to both of the following addresses: Dr Mahir KUCUK Mr Mohamed Saket Deputy Undersecretary Senior Forestry Officer The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs FAO-RNE Republic of Turkey 11, Al Eslah El Zerai Street, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt Tel: + 90 312 207 6285 Tel: +2 02 33316000, ext 2701 Fax: + 90 312 204 6298 Direct: +2 02 3331 6092 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] The undersigned (in Capital letters) Surname (Mr./Mrs./Ms)… …………………………………………………… Name…………………………………………………………………………. Title/Function… ……………………………………………………………… Organization/ Country… ……………………………………………………... Address………………………………………………………………………. Telephone…………….Fax……………………Email....................................... Passport No.…………………………………………………………………… Place of issuance…… …………………………………………………………. Date of issuance…………………………Expiry date………………………... Accompanied by…………………………………………………………......... Will participate in: Yes No 1. The Near East Forestry Week 2. Study tour on… 6 FO:NEFRC/2012/Inf.1 Tentative date (To be confirmed) Scheduled to arrive in Turkey on … January 2012 at …… hours……. flight No................ Scheduled to leave from Turkey on…. February 2012 at …… hours…. flight No. ........... Please book: a single/Double Room (from…28…./01/2012 to 3…./02/2012) at the Hotel …………….. Date…………………………………. Signature…… ……………………. _______________________________________________ .