Conference programme and presentations

A detailed draft conference programme is posted on the conference website; a final programme will be posted just prior to the conference. Please take note of your assigned sessions. 

All papers accepted via the Call for Papers will be presented during parallel sessions. Parallel sessions are 1 hour 45 minutes and include 3-4 paper presentations. Most sessions have no formal discussants (except as noted on the programme), allowing instead more time for questions from the audience and open discussion. 

All conference papers and presentations, made available by presenters, will also be posted on the website after the conference. There will be no paper copies available at the conference. 

Procedures for panel presentations

Please bring your presentation to the session on a USB flash drive and upload it to the conference laptop in your assigned room prior to the start of your session. (You do not want to upload your presentation in the middle of your session while the audience waits.)

Please also email a back-up copy in advance by 2 October to presentation@wider.unu.edu. Name your presentation in the following form: Lastname_firstname.ppt or Lastname_firstname.pdf. 

In order to allow enough time in each session for discussion, session chairs and panellists should note the following time guidelines for paper presentations:

  • Sessions with 4 papers: 20 minutes each
  • Sessions with 3 papers: 25 minutes each

Procedures for poster sessions

Poster presentations should be sent by email to Janis Vehmaan-Kreula (janis@wider.unu.edu) by 20 September 2017. Please name your presentation in the following form: Lastname_firstname.ppt (for a PowerPoint presentation) or Lastname_firstname.pdf (for an Adobe Acrobat presentation). Please also bring a copy of your presentation on a USB flash drive with you to the conference. More information on how to prepare for the poster sessions can be found from the conference website.

Venue and registration

The conference will take place at the ISSER Conference Facility, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.

Registration takes place at the registration desk located by the entrance of the ISSER Conference Facility. Upon registration, participants will be given a name badge, which must be worn for security reasons throughout the conference during the sessions and meal times. 

There is no registration fee for this event.

Airline tickets

Most of you should by now have an airline ticket. If you do not have a ticket or your travel is still pending, please contact us immediately. Make sure you have received an e-ticket for your flights. Some of the tickets will be issued only in the beginning of October.

Transportation from the airport to hotel

Travel from/to the airport to the hotel should be arranged by the traveller.

Meals and conference dinner

All conference participants will be provided with lunches on both days of the conference and a conference dinner on the evening of 5 October. The conference dinner will take place at Mensvic Hotel at 19:00 hrs; UNU-WIDER will provide a bus shuttle from the Conference Facility to the Mensvic Hotel. Participants staying at African Regent Hotel will have the opportunity to use a return bus shuttle leaving at 21:30 hrs from Mensvic Hotel to the African Regent Hotel.

Insurance

Travellers must arrange their own travel and medical insurance coverage.

As an exception, those participants holding a valid UNU-WIDER individual consultancy contract (not an institutional contract), will receive an emergency medical insurance policy for the official duration of your travel at the expense of the Institute. This insurance does not cover personal belongings, such as luggage. We strongly recommend arranging your own insurance coverage for the travel whether you have an individual consultancy contract with UNU-WIDER or not.

Disclaimer: The United Nations University disclaims all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of, or damage to, personal property and for any other loss that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation. In this context, it is strongly recommended to secure, prior to departure, international medical insurance covering the entire period of travel (not just the days of the conference).

Security

Please check the security advice for travelling to Ghana from your country’s state department or foreign ministry.

Security-related recommendations for Ghana can also be found in English for example via the UK Foreign Ministry and US Department of State.

Health and vaccinations

The government of Ghana requires proof of yellow fever vaccination for all travellers, except infants. It is the traveller’s responsibility to obtain all the needed vaccinations and medication for travel. Make sure you carry with you the yellow fever vaccination card as you will need to show it at the port of entry.

Information on required vaccines and the need for malaria medication in Ghana can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Weather

The weather in Accra in October is around 25-30 degrees Celsius during the day and between 15-20 degrees Celsius at night.

UNU-WIDER contact

For any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us (during office hours):

Janis Vehmaan-Kreula
Project Assistant
email: janis@wider.unu.edu 
Tel. +358 9 6159 217 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Jacob Lorentzen
Project Assistant
email: lorentzen@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 231 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Visa and travel-related matters

In urgent travel-related matters outside office hours (e.g. strikes, cancellations, delays), please contact the travel agency. Their contact information can be found on your flight confirmation/e-ticket.

Monika Myllymäki
Travel Assistant
e-mail: monika@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 243 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Emilia Keski-Heikkilä
Travel Assistant
e-mail: emilia@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 214 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)