The 120th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and its related meetings will be held at the Conference Centre of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from Sunday, 5 to Friday, 10 April 2009. The Inaugural Ceremony will take place at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday, 5 April 2009, in the Millennium Hall situated near Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa in the presence of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Girma Woldeghiorgis.

Members and observers of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are kindly requested to send their list of delegates attending the 120th IPU Assembly no later than 27 February 2009, using the enclosed Registration Form to the following addresses:

(a) Inter-Parliamentary Union
5, Chemin du Pommier
Case Postale 330
CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 919 4150
Fax: +41 22 919 4160
e-mail: postbox@mail.ipu.org

(b) Secretariat of the 120th IPU Assembly Organizing Committee
Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
P.O. Box 80001
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 124 10 43
Fax: +251 11 124 11 01
email: info120thipu@ethionet.et
Website: http://www.120thipuassembly.gov.et

N.B. All changes to the list of delegates should be communicated to both addresses.

All communications to the 120th IPU Assembly Organizing Committee should be sent to the same address indicated above under b).

English and French are the official working languages of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. However, the Secretariat of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will provide simultaneous interpretation into and from English, French, Spanish and Arabic at the plenary sittings of the Assembly and at the meetings of the Governing Council and the three Standing Committees.

Three additional simultaneous interpretation channels have been reserved for Chinese, Japanese and Russian.

The Government of Ethiopia will facilitate the granting of visas at no cost to persons attending the 120th IPU Assembly as:
(a) Delegates of regularly affiliated IPU Member Parliaments/National Groups;
(b) Delegates of parliaments that have submitted a request for affiliation;
(c) Advisers, experts, and secretariat staff officially attached to delegations;
(d) Observers;
(e) Special guests;
(f) Members of the IPU Secretariat;
(g) Persons accompanying those referred to in (a) to (f) above.

Participants will be welcomed at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In order to facilitate the work of the welcoming service, Members and observers of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are requested to communicate the exact date and time of arrival and departure of their delegation, as well as flight information. An arrival and departure form is enclosed for this purpose; it should be completed and returned to the Ethiopian IPU Organizing Committee by 10 March, 2009.

All changes should be communicated to the Ethiopian Organizing Committee. The welcoming service will operate from 2 to 8 April 2009 at Bole International Airport and will assist participants with arrival formalities and transfers to official hotels.

Airport transfers will also be made available upon departure. A reception desk at Bole International Airport will be set up from 10 to 12 April 2009 to facilitate departures.

8. First aid service

There are two seasons in Ethiopia: the rainy season, which runs from June to September, and the dry season, which lasts throughout the rest of the year.

In Addis Ababa, April is a month with an average rainfall of 88.8 mm, and average maximum and minimum temperature of 24oC and 12oC respectively.

10. Other facts on Addis Ababa

As the 120th Assembly will be held on the premises of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre, it will be necessary to apply the following security measures:

(i) Registration Desk:
On arrival, delegates will be required to first proceed to the UN registration building, which is located in front of the UN Conference Centre. Delegates will be welcomed at the Registration Desk by an IPU team, which will be working closely with the Ethiopian Organizing Committee and the United Nations for issuance of the necessary badges.

The Assembly Registration Desk will be in operation from Thursday, 2 April, 2009 to Friday, 10 April, 2009 at the following times:
- 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 2 and Friday, 3 April 2009;
- 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Saturday, 4 to Thursday, 9 April 2009;
- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 April 2009.

(ii) IPU Information Desk:
The IPU Information Desk dealing with all the other questions usually handled by this service (pigeon-holes for delegates, reservation of informal meeting rooms, etc.) will be in operation according to the same schedule inside the UNECA Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. Delegates should therefore proceed to this Desk after they have received their badge at the Registration Desk to undertake all other usual formalities, such as registration of Vice-Presidents, etc.

A Hospitality Desk of the Parliament of the FDRE will be in operation on the premises of the UNECA Conference Centre, with the same schedule as the Registration Desk.

Organizing Committee Information Desks will be in operation from Saturday, 4 April to Saturday, 11 April 2009 in the lobbies of accredited hotels.

Foreign currency may only be exchanged at authorized national and private banks. Most of the world's major currencies: the pound sterling, the euro and US dollar or traveller's cheques are accepted.

The local currency in Ethiopia is the Birr. The Ethiopian Birr consists of notes (5, 10, 50, and 100 denominations) and coins (0.05, 0.10, 0.25, and 0.50). Visitors may carry unlimited amount of foreign currency, provided that the amount is declared to customs on arrival.

Transfers will be provided upon arrival and departure. In addition, shuttle buses will run between the official hotels and the UNECA Conference Centre.

Transportation will also be provided for all official functions during the Assembly.

A Press Office will be set up by the IPU on the premises of the UNECA Conference Centre; it will handle all relations with the media, national and international press, radio and TV. It will also organize press conferences and be responsible for press releases.

Journalists wishing to cover the meetings should complete the attached form and follow the same accreditation process indicated under section 11 (i).

During the Assembly, mail for participants should be addressed to:
Secretariat of the 120th IPU Assembly Organizing Committee
Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
P.O. Box 80001
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 124 10 43
Fax: +251 11 124 11 01
e-mail: info120thipu@ethionet.et

Messages should clearly state the addressee’s name and delegation. Urgent messages for participants may be transmitted by telephone, fax or e-mail.