19-24 June 2020
Marriott Hotel, Madrid, Spain
NOTE: Please read this announcement carefully as it contains important information and deadlines regarding registration, national delegations, delegates support, WBU awards and Travel visas for Spain. Please mark these dates and deadlines in your calendars.
The Joint General Assemblies of the World Blind Union (WBU) and the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) will be held in Madrid, Spain on 19-24 June 2020. The host organisation of the 2020 General Assemblies is the National Organisation of the Blind in Spain (ONCE). The broad theme of the General Assemblies is “World Blind Summit: What it means to be Blind and Visually Impaired”.
Registration
Registrations for the WBU General Assembly as well as joint events for the ICEVI are now open. For further information and instructions, please visit the General Assembly website at: https://www.worldblindnesssummit.com/en. If you have any questions regarding registrations, please send your inquiries, with subject line "Registration", to GA2020@wbu.ngo. Please keep in mind that Registrations will close by April 15, 2020.
Reminder Membership fees
Every country must be financial in order to attend the General Assembly and be eligible to vote. Those countries seeking financial support must have paid their membership fees for 2019 by June 30 this year. In order to complete the process, they must pay their membership dues for 2020 not later than February 28, 2020. Otherwise the sponsorship support will automatically be assigned to other eligible countries.
Those countries that are NOT seeking financial support must pay their 2020 membership fees not later than March 31, 2020. For any inquiries regarding membership fees, please send us an email with subject line "Membership fee, name of the organization and name of the country" to GA2020@wbu.ngo.
Delegates Support
Sponsorship application forms and guidelines, are now available on the WBU website at: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/general-assembly/Pages/default.aspx. All applications for delegates support must be submitted electronically in MS Word format to the Chief Executive Officer, with subject line "Delegates Support, name of organization and country" to GA2020@wbu.ngo by December 15, 2019. Please note that emails without correct subject line will NOT be considered. No late applications for support will be accepted.
The Delegates Support Committee is responsible to verify the applications and approve the amount of funding available to each applicant in respect of the funding available from WBU and other sponsors. Applicants will be informed about the decision of the Delegates Support Committee by first week of February 2020. Please read the guidelines carefully before completing and submitting the Delegate Support forms. Incomplete forms will not be considered. Approved subsidies for supported delegates that have not paid their 2020 membership fees by the February 28 due date will be cancelled and awarded to the next eligible delegate on the waiting list.
Please ensure that people applying for support must be part of your National Delegation, as official delegates to the 10th General Assembly.
Programme
The General Assemblies programme is now available on the WBU website at: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/general-assembly/Pages/default.aspx. Please visit this web page regularly as we shall keep updating the programme.
Visas for Spain
Spain does not have any restrictions for applying for Visas by any country. For delegates from the European Union, a Schengen Visa allows entry into Spain. Some countries are eligible for obtaining e-Visas on arrival. ONCE will be assisting delegates with the issuance of invitation letters for obtaining visas and more details will be posted on the General Assembly website.
Invitation letters for visas application purposes will be issued after completion of the registration process. Be advised that due to Spanish law these invitations will ONLY be issued by ONCE.
For further inquiries regarding Visa applications, please sent us an email with subject line "Visa for Spain and name of your country" to GA2020@wbu.ngo.
The CEOs of WBU and ICEVI will be providing regular updates on the General Assemblies and we are sure you will list the Madrid General Assembly as one of the most memorable events of recent times. We look forward to welcoming you to Madrid, Spain on 19-24 June 2020!