The lodging for Congress participants at the Sentrim 680 Hotel is made through the conference secretariat, by registering for a conference package. Registrants may select a 3-day, 4-day, or 5-day package. The three-day package is for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; the four-day package can be either Wednesday night through Saturday night or Thursday night through Sunday night, and the five-day package is Wednesday night through Sunday night. The "off-site" option means that you do not intend to stay in the housing provided by WANGO. In this case, you must arrange all of your own accommodations for the duration of the Congress.
Due to the changing security situation in Nairobi, Kenya, the 2012 World Congress of NGOs is cancelled.
Nairobi has long had a reputation as a safe haven from the terrorism found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. When Nairobi was selected as the site of the 2012 Congress, the only travel advisories issued were related to the more remote areas of Kenya, and WANGO held a successful conference in Nairobi in 2010. However, all of this began to change in March, as terrorism and threats of terrorism visited Nairobi. We have been made aware by the US Embassy of potential terror attacks targeting Nairobi hotels, with intelligence information showing the planning of the potential attacks to be in the final stages. In addition, several nations have recently changed their travel advisories to now include travel to Nairobi, referencing the high threat of terrorism in Kenya.
Because of this updated information, the Conference Committee has decided that the safety and security of the participants -- which include NGO leaders, governmental officials, and business leaders -- make it prudent to not hold the Congress at this time.
We deeply regret any inconvenience this has caused.
Sincerely,
Taj Hamad
Secretary General, WANGO
