Consultation of Member States and Associate Members, as well a s o f i n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( I G O s ) a n d international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), on the preparation of the Draft Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021 ( 3 7 C / 4 ) an d t h e D r a f t Programme and Budget for 2014
-2017 (37 C/5)
14th - 16th September 2012
Montevideo, Uruguay
2
Index
4 General Information
6 Uruguay and UNESCO
7 The MERCOSUR Building
8 Purpose
9 The Meeting
10 Logistics and Visas
12 Airport
13 Contacts
15 Useful Information
17 Uruguay and Heritage
18 Montevideo
19 Sightseeing in Montevideo
20 Rites and Traditions
23 Excursions outside Montevideo
3
On behalf of the Government of Uru-
guay, we wish to extend a warm welcome to
the Regional Consultation for Latin America
and the Caribbean on the preparation of the
documents for Medium Term Strategy 2014-
2021 (C/4) and Draft Programme and Budget
for 2014-2017 (C/5) of UNESCO.
In this brochure, you will find the necessary
logistic information to discover our heritage.
We hope that you feel at home and enjoy the
Uruguayan hospitality.
Welcome
Amb. Omar Mesa
Permanent Delegate of
Uruguay to UNESCO
4
General
Information
The Uruguayan territory has an
extension of 176.000 km2 and 138.000
km2 of jurisdictional waters. Rivers,
creeks and lagoons form a dense hydrographic network. Uru-
guay is a natural country, green backwater between the Uru-
guay river, De la Plata river and the Atlantic Ocean, where the
good climate and the short distances allow to enjoy its attrac-
tions all the year round.
The country offers: 650 kilometres of coast with beach resorts
as Punta del Este, Touristic farms where to enjoy the life of the
countryside, historical places as Colonia del Sacramento, de-
clared World Heritage of Humanity
by UNESCO, a calm thermal water
region and its capital city Montevi-
deo, which offers diverse cultural at-
tractions.
The level of security, a high literacy
rate, excellent health conditions and
a territory with 98% of networks of
drinkable water, are some of the indi-
cators that confirm that the quality
of life in Uruguay, is one of the most
important heritages of the country.
Mr. José Mujica
President of the Republic
5
Uruguay is politically organized as a republic divided
in 19 departments. The Government is composed by three
independent branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
The Executive branch is lead by the president, elected every
5 years, and in conjunction with the Council of Ministers.
The legislative branch is composed by the General Assembly,
which consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Representa-
tives and the Senate.
The judicial branch is composed by the Supreme Court, con-
stituted by five ministers, the courts and tribunals.
CEIBAL: A computer for each schoolchildren
CEIBAL Plan is the big-
gest social and educational pro-
ject of Uruguay. It was estab-
lished in 2007 to provide all the
country's schoolchildren and
their teachers with a laptop and free internet access.
Currently more than 700,000 children in public educa-
tion have computers with Wi-Fi access.
It is an unprecedented project in the world for its na-
tional scope. Currently the program is also being imple-
mented at secondary and technical education levels.
6
Uruguay and UNESCO
Regional Bureau for Science for Latin America and the Caribbean Its focus is on strengthening multilateral technical cooperation in sci-ence and technology in Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of a regional strategy to stimulate sustainable development and a culture of peace and tolerance in countries. In practice the office develops mul-tisectorial activity working in the five main areas of competence of the organization
The Regional Bureau for Science of UNESCO for Latin
America and the Caribbean was established in 1949 as the Center
for Scientific Cooperation of UNESCO for Latin America and the
Caribbean region, one of the first offices outside headquarters in
Paris. It currently serves projects and programs in 33 countries
and operates on three levels of geographical and thematic scope:
Representation of the UNESCO to MERCOSUR Montevideo is the headquarters of the Secretariat and Parliament of the MERCOSUR. The Office of the UNESCO in Montevideo is the official representation of the UNESCO to MERCOSUR. As such, it glides, exe-cutes and coordinates the action of the programs and projects of UNESCO related to the sub-region MERCOSUR + Chile, in narrow co-operation with the offices of Brasilia, la Habana and Santiago, as well as with the International Institute for the Planning of the Education (IIPE) of Buenos Aires.
Representation of the UNESCO before the Governments of Argenti-na, Paraguay and Uruguay The Office of the UNESCO in Montevideo is the official representation of UNESCO to the governments of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. As such, it assumes the responsibilities of representation, planning and execution of the national programs of the UNESCO in these coun-tries.
7
In March 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pro-
vided the use of various spaces of the former “Parque Ho-
tel” - now MERCOSUR building - to the headquarters of
MERCOSUR, the representation of the Organization of
American States (OAS), the Regional Fund Agricultural
Development (IFAD-MERCOSUR) and UNESCO among
others, to install its offices in Uruguay.
The MERCOSUR Building
8
Purpose
Session Organizers
The present regional consultation is organized by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and
Culture of Uruguay, through the National Commission for
UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of Uruguay to UNESCO.
Objectives
The new world challenges which the international com-
munity faces need an organization capable of answering to the
priorities of its member states in an agile and innovative way.
Therefore it is essential to ensure that the organization has the
necessary resources in the regular budget extra-budgetary con-
tributions. To carry out its mandate, UNESCO must be capable
of achieving expected results in its five major programmes.
UNESCO needs to be well administered in order to respond to
the needs of Members States.
This regional consultation will provide not only important inputs
for the Program and Budget preparation, but in essential contri-
bution to the midterm strategy which will guide the course of the
organization until 2021.
9
Location:
The Meeting
The Government of Uruguay will cover the cost of accommodation for one participant per country. For further participants who want to stay at the same hotel, it has been negotiated a preferential rate of 120US$ (hundred twenty American dollars) per night breakfast included.
Hotel NH Columbia
Rambla Gran Bretaña 473
11.000, Montevideo
Tel. +59.8.29160001 | Reservations: +59.8 902 570 368
www.nh-hotels.com |[email protected]
10
Visa
Germany
Andorra
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bulgaria
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
South Korea
Costa Rica
Croatia
Czech republic
Chile
Cyprus
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
United States
Estonia
Finland
France
Great Britain
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Ireland
Island
Israel
Italia
Jamaica
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxemburg
Malaysia
Malta
México
Monaco
Nicaragua
Norway
New Zealand
Netherlands
Panamá
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Seychelles, Islas
South Africa
Sweden
Switzerland
Trinidad Y Tobago
Turkey
Venezuela
Below is the list of countries whose citizens holding a common
passport are exempted from visa requirement to enter Uruguay:
Logistics and Visa
11
The citizens of the countries of the MERCOSUR, as well as of
Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru DO NOT need visa to
enter, being able to travel with their Passport or their national
ID.
Nationals from countries not listed in the precedent page DO re-quire a visa: In that case, they must present submit at the Consulate of Uru-guay in its jurisdiction with at least 20 days prior to travel with the following documents:
A valid passport
Airline ticket
Hotel booking in your name or person's name, address and phone number of where you will be staying during your stay.
If applicable, invitation letter received from Uruguay.
Eventually the Consular Office may request additional infor-mation it deems necessary.
People holding diplomatic or official passports are requested to kindly contact the Embassy or Consulate of Uruguay closer to the effects of information on whether or not a visa is demanded.
In the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, www.mrree.gub.uy under the heading "Missions" you will find updated information of the Uruguayan embassies and consu-
lates abroad.
If you need further assistance, please contact the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to UNESCO by phone +33-145683470 or
email: dl.uruguay @ unesco-delegations.org
Sanitary conditions of the country are high. No special vaccina-
tions are required to enter Uruguay.
12
Taxi:
Airport Taxi
Tel: (+598) 2604-0323
www.taxisaeropuerto.com
Carrasco International Airport
www.aeropuertodecarrasco.com.uy
Bus:
Cutcsa Tel: (+598) 2204-0000
COT S.A.
Airport: (+598) 2600-3195 Tres Cruces: (+598) 2409-4949
*The services provided by these taxi and bus companies are interde-partmental and independent from the airport.
Approximate taxi fares from
the airport to Montevideo
(Uruguayan pesos)
Centro 1.100
Pocitos 890
Carrasco 470
Punta Carretas 1.000
Parque Rodó 1.000
Ciudad Vieja 1.200
(1 USD = 23 uruguayan pesos aprox.)
13
Contacts
Permanent Delegation of Uruguay to UNESCO Tel: (33) 01.45.68.34.70 [email protected]
Uruguay National Commission for UNESCO Ms. Andrea Vignolo Tel: (598-2) 915-6352 (SG); Tel: (598-2) 915-2963 (Pt) Fax: (598-2) 915-6352
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay - Department of Consular Affairs Tel: (598-2) 902 10 10 Ext. 3118
Airlines contact information in Uruguay:
Aerolíneas Argentinas: (+598) 2902 3691
Air France: (+598) 2902-5023/26
American Airlines: (+598) 2916-3929
Copa Airlines: (+598) 2623 49 03
Gol Linhas Aéreas: (+598) 2606090
Iberia: (+598) 2901-434
LAN: (+598) 2712 5555
Lufthansa: (+598) 2901-3370
TAM Airlines: (+598) 2901-8451
14
Other Hotels Suggested * (Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sports)
http://www.turismo.gub.uy/
Center
Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza
Plaza Independencia 759.
Tel: +(598 2) 902 0111 [email protected]
Four Points Montevideo
Ejido 1275.
Tel: +(598 2) 901 7000 reservaciones.montevideo@fourpoint.
com
Holiday Inn
Colonia 823.
Tel: +(598 2) 902 0001 [email protected] www.holidayinn.com.uy
Embajador
San José 1212.
Tel: +(598 2) 902 0012 [email protected]
Lafayette
Soriano 1170.
Tel: +(598 2) 902 4646 [email protected]
Lancaster
Plaza Cagancha 1334.
Tel: +(598 2) 902 1054. [email protected]
Pocitos
Best Western Palladium
Tomás de Tezanos 1146. Tel: +(598 2) 628 8484
Regency Suites
Gabriel Otero 6428.
Tel: +(598 2) 600 1383 [email protected]
www.regency.com.uy
Ibis
La Cumparsita 1473.
Tel: +(598 2) 413 7000 [email protected]
www.ibishotel.com
Ermitage
Juan Benito Blanco 783. Tel: +(598 2) 710 4021.
Punta Carretas Carrasco
Sheraton Montevideo
Victor Soliño 349.
Tel: +(598 2) 710 2121 [email protected]
Belmont House
Avda. Rivera 6512.
Tel: +(598 2) 600 0430 [email protected]
*Transportation of the participants staying at other hotels is their own responsibility.
15
Useful Information
Tourist Information Offices Ministry of Tourism and Sports Rambla 25 de Agosto de
1825 s/n esq. Yacaré
International Airport Camino Carrasco y Avda. de Las Américas - Tel: 2604 0386
Terminal Shopping Tres Cruces Bvar. Artigas y Dr. Ferrer Serra - Tel: 2409 7399
Carnaval Museum Rambla 25 de agosto de 1825 y Maciel Tel: 2916 8434
Tourist Police Force of Tourist Police - Uruguay 1667 esq. Minas - 0800 8226
Customs Port of Montevideo and International Airport Tax Free Uruguay: Premier Tax Free Uruguay - 2600 1192 int. 11 - www.premiertaxfree.com
Weather The country is located entirely in a temperate zone. The average annual temperature is around 17° C degrees . In September the temperature varies between 7°C to 17° C degrees approximately.
Currency Uruguayan peso. There are bills of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 pesos and coins of 1, 2, 5,10 pesos. 1 USD = 23 Uruguayan pesos approximately 1 Euro = 28 Uruguayan pesos approximately
Currency Exchange The currency exchange can be done at banks, exchange houses or Hotels. It is recommended to change money at banks and ex-change bureau. Banking hours: From 13.00 to 17.00 Monday to Friday.
16
Business Hours Monday to Friday from 9 to 19hrs Banking Hours and Currency Exchange: Mon. to Fri. 13 to 17/18hrs.
Shopping Centers Open Monday to Sunday included from 10 to 22 hours.
Punta Carretas Shopping Center José Ellauri 350
Montevideo Shopping Luis Alberto de Herrera 1290
Portones Shopping Av. Italia 5775 - Carrasco
Tres Cruces Bulevar General Artigas 1825
Radio Taxis Radio Taxi 141 - 141 Celeritas - 1919
Water Tap water is drinkable throughout the country.
Sector power 220 V / 50 Hz International Code +598
Time Zone GMT/UTC -3 hours
Datos útiles
Official Language Spanish
Capital Montevideo
Currency Uruguayan peso
Population 3 477 778 hab.
Literacy rate 97, 3%
17
Uruguay and Heritage
For further information go to the website of the National Cultural Heritage of Uruguay:
http://www.patrimoniouruguay.gub.uy/
World Heritage List of UNESCO:
The Historic Quarter of Colonia del Sacramento (1995)
Items listed in the tentative list of World Heritage:
Legislative Palace (1995—Siege of Parliament)
Chamangá: Area of cave painting (2005—Flores depart-
ment)
Bay insular area of Colonia del Sacramento (2005)
Cultural Landscape and Industrial Fray Bentos (2010-
departamento of Rio Negro)
La Rambla (boardwalk) in the city of Montevideo (2010 -
department of Montevideo)
Twentieth century modern architecture in the city of
Montevideo (2010)
The work of the engineer Eladio Dieste (2010)
Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
of Uruguay:
Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community
practice (2009)
Tango (2009 - binational inscription with Argentina)
18
Montevideo
Founded with military and commercial purposes, the city
of Montevideo became an important military fort and the main
natural port of de la Plata river. The Old City reflects this histo-
ry, being its main icons, the port of Montevideo, the Town Coun-
cil, the Cathedral and the door of the Citadel.
From the arrival at Carrasco International Airport and transfer
to the city center, it is possible to enjoy the Rambla de Montevi-
deo (boardwalk), registered in the indicative list of World Herit-
age of Uruguay, as space for social and cultural integration.
Throughout its 12-kilometer stretch of beaches, it is the enjoy-
ment of all Montevideo’s population between October and April.
Montevideo counts with a remarkable architectural legacy of the
twentieth century, surrounded by the splendor of the Rambla:
the Palacio Salvo, the Legislative Palace, Castle Pitamiglio, the
Train Station, the Centenario Stadium, Carrasco Hotel and Park
Hotel , among others. Particularly interesting is the modern ar-
chitecture of the twentieth century (e.g. Art Deco) that can be
appreciated throughout the city, and it is in Uruguay Worlds
Heritage Tentative List.
19
Sightseeing in Montevideo
20
Mate Few traditions in
Uruguay are so widespread
as to have Mate. The con-
sumption of this hot tea is
a social habit of Uruguay-
ans. “Yerba Mate” is an in-
fusion of leaves used by the
Tupi-Guarani Indians for
medicinal purposes. Then
the Gauchos (semi-
nomadic habitants of rural
areas) adopted it as a tradi-
tional beverage. The essen-
tial elements for the prepa-
ration of the infusion are: Ma-
te recipient that is made of a natural pumpkin, filled with
"Yerba" (herb), the bulb that is used to sip the infusion
and the water is poured nowadays from thermos . Prepar-
ing as well as serving mate, is a real ritual. Of the few
countries in the world who have this production, Uru-
guayans are its main consumers. It is usual to see people
walking and drinking mate on the streets, parks and lei-
sure open spaces.
Rites and Traditions
21
Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community practice
In the second half of the eighteenth century the port of
Montevideo was the main port of entry of Africans to the Span-
ish colonies. At the end of this century 35% of the population of
Montevideo was of African descents. The afro descendants
brought ancient rites, music and dances of their land that be-
came known as "Tangos" and "Drums" by 1800. The term can-
dombe dates from 1830 . Today candombe is performed in the
streets during weekends and holidays. It is a meeting ground
for drumming, dancing, or just listening the drums sound and
walking in procession. It was declared Intangible Heritage of
Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
22
Tango Tango is a musical and dance style originated in the port
cities of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In the last decades of the
nineteenth century these cities began to experience a process of
mass immigration, mostly Europeans, who changed their socie-
ties. The number of immigrants exceeded the existing popula-
tion, producing an intense mix. Tango was born of this fusion of
cultures. It is estimated that the transition lasted about forty
years to establish itself as a fully established genre in the last
decade of the nineteenth century. Its musical background is
African American and European, fusion that lead to something
unique. In those times the upper classes and the Catholic
Church rejected and banned it. The lyrics reflect tango slang,
originated in brothels, prisons and taverns, where the working
class lived. In the tradition-
al market of Tristan Narvaja
we can find tangos relics:
records, scores, pictures
and books. The tango cul-
ture reflects the brother-
hood between Montevideo
and Buenos Aires. In 2009,
as a result of a nomination
submitted by Uruguay and
Argentina, the Tango was
declared by UNESCO Intan-
gible Heritage of Humanity.
23
Colonia del Sacramento
At two hours by land transport from Montevideo, we can
find Colonia del Sacramento, known as “Colonia”, capital of the
department of Colonia, in the southwest of Uruguay. The “Nova
Colônia do Santíssimo Sacramento” was founded in 1680, being
the first european accession in our territory.
The historical hull of Colonia was declared World heritage by the
UNESCO in 1995. Its architecture is a fusion of Spanish, Portu-
guese and post-colonial architectural styles. The singular
preservation of its environment merit a visit.
Excursiones fuera de Montevideo
24
Edited by: Melissa Garin
Emergency medical assistance UCM - Bvar. Artigas 1958 - Tel: 2487 3333. Urgencia 147
SEMM - Bvar. Artigas 870 - Tel: 2711 1111. Urgencia 159
SUAT- Avda. Sarmiento 2570 - Tel: 2711 0711 Urgencia 133
UCAR - Ave. 8 de Octubre 2481 - Tel: 2487 5318 Urgencia 1955
Radio Patrol In case of emergency contact: 999 - 109
Permanent Delegation of the of Uruguay to UNESCO
Maison de l'UNESCO
Bureau M7.35 1, rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 1 +33.01.45.68.34.70
Uruguay National Commission to UNESCO Ministerio de Educación y Cultura Reconquista 535 - piso 5 Montevideo, Uruguay (598-2) 915-6352 (SG); (598-2) 915-2963 (Pt) Fax: (598-2) 915-6352
National Commissions to UNESCO and partner
networks ERI / NCS / NAC
Tel: (33 1) 45 68 15 52 Fax: (33 1) 45 68 55 [email protected]