The Forty-second Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank and Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Investment Corporation will be held in Santiago, Chile, from 19 to 21 March 2001. As in the past, the Bank and the host country are sponsoring a series of seminars on topics of interest to participants. These preliminary activities will begin on Thursday, 15 March.

The Inaugural Session will take place at the Diego Portales Convention Center. All other sessions, meetings and seminars will be held at the Mapocho Station Cultural Center.

Airport arrival procedures, customs and immigration

Since Chilean customs and immigration formalities are swift and simple, no special airport arrival procedures are being established for the meeting.

The Secretariat will send identifying baggage tags to all those who confirm that they plan to attend. Use of the baggage tags will help expedite customs formalities and make it possible for arriving travelers to be provided with any assistance they might require.

To enter Chile, citizens of Guyana, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago will need to present a valid passport with a visa issued by the Chilean authorities.

Citizens of Canada and the United States of America, in addition to presenting a valid passport, will be required to pay US$55 and US$45 in cash, respectively, which will cover multiple entries as long as the passport is valid.

Nationals of other member countries do not need a visa for Chile.

Weather

March is normally moderate in Chile, with slightly cool mornings and nights.

Average high temperature -------------------------------------- 25º C (75º F)
Average low temperature --------------------------------------- 10º C (50º F)
Relative humidity --------------------------------------- 60%

Electricity

The electric current in Chile operates on 220 volts at 50 hertz.

Exchange rate

Chile’s official currency unit is the peso ($), which on 13 October 2000 was quoted at $568 per U.S. dollar. Money may be exchanged at banks or currency exchange offices.

Time zone

During the annual meeting, Santiago will be four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-4).