Tenth Latin American and the Caribbean Carbon Forum (LACCF)

September 28th to 30th, 2016

Panama, Republic of Panama

Logistics Note

  1. Venue

The event will be held in Hotel Sortisfrom Wednesday 28 of September to Friday30 of September.

Place of the event: Business Center (2nd floor)

Information about the hotel:

Address: Calle 56 Este, Panamá

Phone: (507) 398 8888

Web:

Closest subway station: Vía Argentina

  1. Event

The opening ceremony will take place Wednesday September 28 at 8:30 am.

During all official sessions of the event, there will be simultaneous translation service English- Spanish- English.

For more information about the event please visit:

  1. Your trip

PASSPORT: All visitors to Panama must have a valid passport. The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of arrival to the country

VISA: For more information regarding visas, and requirements, please visit the following website (in Spanish):

(Aquí va la web del Foro una vez esté la información de las visas subida=

For more information, please visit the website of the National Immigration Service (

If you require a visa to enter Panama, in order to get an official letter of invitation to support visa application, please contact Ms. Laura Lenz at the UNFCCC secretariat:

YELLOW FEVER AND VACCINATION: The Panamanian health authorities do not demand vaccines when entering the country. However, it is recommended that every person traveling to Panama from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission should be vaccinated against it. These countries are: Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Paraguay, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leona, Somalia, Sudan, Surinam, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela.

  1. Accommodation

Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations and therefore are advised to contact directly the hotel of their choice to make the booking as soon as possible. Some hotels in the area have offered a special Price for participants, if reservations are made with sufficient anticipation.

Hotel & website / Contact / email/ phone / Cost
(tax included)
Hotel Sortis
Hotel Website /
507 398 8888 / $121
Wyndham Garden Panama City
Hotel website / Stephanie Chee /
507 212 5703 / $ 66
Hotel Novotel
Hotel website / Alexandre Moreno /
507 3068600 / $ 88
Hotel RIU
Hotel website / Analyn Caballero / 507 2820420 / $ 83

Some of these hotel offer transportation from/to the airport which can incur a fee. Please contact the hotel directly for more information.

  1. Transportation

Airport / Hotel / Airport: Tocumen International Airport is located 23 km (14 mi) from the hotel. All participants are responsible for arranging their own travel from the Airport to their hotel. Many hotels arrange transportation from/to the airport.

Taxis are available at the airport and the trip to downtown Panama usually costs around $30.

Within the city: Participants are responsible for their transportation between the meeting venue and their hotel.

The city counts with a network of buses (METROBUS) that covers the whole city

Taxis are yellow on the outside and can be easily found on the streets of Panama. Make sure you agree on a rate with the taxi driver before starting the trip.

Another frequently used option is the app. Uber, which is also easily available within the city.

If the participant wishes to rent a car, the foreign driving license is valid for a period of 90 days after entering the country.

Subway/Metro: The nearest metro station to the hotel is Via Argentina. You need to purchase a metro card to be able to ride the Metro.

  1. Information about Panama:

Time zone: The time of Panama during the year corresponds to the EST (GMT- 5), and the biannual schedule remains unchanged.

Weather: Tropical. Average temperatures in Panama vary between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius (78.8 to 86 Farenheit). Late September will be rainy season and showers are to be expected every day.

Language: Spanish is the main language spoken in Panama. English is spoken to some extent by an important share of the population.

Currency: The official currency of Panama is the Balboa, which is equivalent to the US dollar. Nonetheless all commercial transactions in the country are undertaken in US dollars. In Panama the US dollar bills and coins in their different denominations are the accepted currency. Balboa coins circulate in 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 Balboa cents and 1 Balboa denomination.

ATM: There are ATMs all over the country, in every bank branch as well as in major hotels and malls.

Credit cards: All major credit cards are accepted in Panama.

Tax: All purchases and services in Panama are subject to a 7 % tax (ITBMS), with the exception of medicines, food and school supplies.

Airport Tax: For international commercial flights, airport tax is included in the cost of airfare.

Tips: It is customary to include a tip when paying at bar or restaurant. The recommended tip is 10% of the value of the total bill.

Drinking water: The quality of tap water is good in most places.

Electricity: 110 volts, 60 Mhz. (American plug, type B). Many hotels have availability of voltage of 220-240 volts.

Telephone Country Code: +507

Important telephone numbers:

  • International calls through the operator: 106
  • Local Time: 105
  • Telephone helpline: 102
  • Medical Emergencies: 911
  • Fire Department: 103
  • Police: 104
  • Tocumen International Airport: 238-2700

Opening hours:

  • Businesses: 9:30 am to 7:00 pmevery day of the week. Some supermarkets are open 24 hours.
  • Banks : 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm. ATMs are usually available 24 hours
  • Government Offices : 8:00 a.m. to 4: 00 pm

Safety recommendations: Panama City is considered in general to be a safe and secure city. You should however ask locals/hotel staff which neighborhoods should be avoided, especially at night. Valuables should not be openly visible in order to avoid potential aggressions, particularly when it gets dark

Useful links:

Panama Tourism Authority:

VisitPanama

  1. ImportantContactsinformation:

Emergency contacts:

-UN

-MIAMBIENTE

Main event contacts:

LOGISTICS
Carmen Elisa Restrepo
UNDP
Cel.: +507 6704940
/ MEDIA AND OUTREACH
Larissa de León
Ministry of Environment

AGENDA AND SPEAKERS
Cayetano Casado
UNDP
Cel.: +507 63112489
/ EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS
Lisa Spafford
IETA

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