Peru Gets Ready To Receive 12,000 Visitors For COP 20

LIMA, Peru, Sept. 4, CNSPeru has announced major achievements as it readies to host the Twentieth Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP20), which will take place in Lima from the 1st to the 12th of December this year.

Minister of the Environment and President of COP20, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal said the official venue of COP20 is within the Peruvian Army’s general headquarters.

The venue for negotiations will be built by the French company GL Events, which was selected in an international call for tenders, and which has broad experience raising and equipping temporary facilities. The construction of COP20 facilities will start on September 15 and end on the first week of November.

The venue will have 30 meeting rooms, two plenary session rooms, two press conference rooms, 11 rooms for side events, 4,000 metres for office spaces, a press area and an International Recording Center for 100 TV and radio stations, among others.

Inside the main COP20 venue, there will be different services required by participants: religious services, banking, information on accommodations and tourism, food, equipment for rent, telephones, translation and interpretation services, catering for private meetings, medical and cleaning services, among others.

As for accommodation for the 12,000 expected visitors, 900 establishments were visited in Lima and 325 hotels from one to five stars in good or excellent condition were identified.

A Food Surveillance Plan is being implemented through the inspection of restaurants and smaller eating establishments in 18 districts in Lima.

Meanwhile a health plan and an epidemiological surveillance plan have been developed and consolidated, and a network of clinics and hospitals has been established so they are ready and in orange alert to offer assistance – if needed- to COP20 participants.

As for transportation, five routes have been defined for the transportation of participants from already identified hubs to the venue and vice versa. A system of shuttles has also been planned from the airport and “green waves” have already been established with the national police for rush hours to prevent traffic congestion.

Security has also been coordinated between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Army’s General Command (CGE). They have set security rings for the main venue, hotels, and airport and have designed security protocols for authorities.

A protocol has been prepared to facilitate the entry of negotiation teams to Peru, creating an online visa system and generating agreements to exempt diplomatic, service and official passports from visas with 71 countries. At the same time Lima Airport Partners (LAP) will offer facilities to speed up entry during those days.

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