ICC Durban becomes UN site for duration of COP17

Roads closures

The road closures will be in force from 20 November 2011 until 13 December 2011 on the following lanes:

• Two lanes on Stalwart Simelane Street (Stanger St)
  
• Two lanes on Bram Fischer Road (Ordnance Rd)
  
• One lane on Dr AB Xuma Street (Commercial Rd)
  
• Walnut Road will be the only road that is completely closed off to the public.

Mag and bag scanning processes

The ICC Durban complex becomes a United Nations site, where security officials mandated by the UN control entry and exit. Entry is only permitted for persons who have been accredited - no accreditation equals no entry and there will be no exceptions to this rule. Anybody entering the building will be subjected to mag and bag scanning processes.

There is no parking on site for the duration of the event; staff and contracted service providers will park at a designated offsite parking facility and a shuttle service will be made available to and from the ICC Durban. Parking at the ICC Durban will only be available again from 16 December after the breakdown of the conference infrastructure.

No dangerous items or weapons allowed

Only vehicles carrying heads of state will have access into the ICC precinct. Delegate busses will park at the transport hub located on the Centrum Parking site opposite the Durban Workshop. The entire site will be closed off in two secure areas. The outer perimeter will be the South African Zone, with the inner perimeter being fenced off for the United Nations Zone.

All persons and baggage entering the UN Zone will be searched prior to entry. All bags will be scanned to ensure no dangerous items are contained and no weapons of any kind will be allowed.

All suppliers delivering to the ICC will have their vehicles searched offsite before being escorted to the site by the SAPS and the Metro police. The ICC has requested suppliers to deliver according to a strict delivery schedule, ideally between midnight and 4am, as it might take as long as three hours for delivery clearance.

Venues galore

Build-up for the conference began on 8 November, with 160 dedicated contractors on site, creating 7400 m² of temporary office space over and above what already exists. Including the existing 33 000 m² conference and exhibition space, the ICC is also utilising the lower level (basement parking) to create a further 14 000 m² of usable space which will include an international broadcasting centre, country delegation offices and the UNFCCC offices.

Temporary marquees of 5 500 m² are also being erected in the north and south plazas of the ICC Exhibition Centre.

• Two plenary venues will host 1900 and 1300 delegates respectively.
  
• Approximately 27 meeting rooms with the capacity to host between 20 and 500 delegates are being used.
  
• Approximately 1 100 international media will be accommodated and a media centre on the lower level is being constructed for use over the period of the conference.
  
• The ICC Exhibition Centre has been upgraded with the construction of new facilities and the painting of the exterior in preparation for the event.
  
• Eco friendly boards made from 100% recycled products are being used to build offices and meeting rooms within the ICC halls. Approximately 3 500 metres of walling is being installed. These panels are 100% South African produced, flame resistant and eco-friendly, made from recycled Kraft cardboard boxes and sugarcane waste. This is a first for this type of application within the meetings industry.
  
• Cabling with a length totalling approximately 40 kilometres is being installed for video, data and communication networks across all levels of the ICC and other venues within the precinct.

Updates online

Press releases and relevant information will be published on the website www.icc.co.za.