VENUE

A Business Center equipped with lounge seating and print/copy capabilities will be available in the front lobby of the MC Building from Monday, October 21, through Saturday, October 26. Business Center staff will be available to help attendees with any questions. 

Business Center Conference Rooms will be available to accommodate meetings of up to 40 people. These conference rooms are offered "as-is" and furniture layouts cannot be customized, and IT/AV support is not available. These rooms can be reserved in 30-minute blocks of time, up to 2 hours. Reservations for the Business Center Conference Rooms can be made using this Meeting Request Form.

Questions can be directed to ambusinesscenters@worldbank.org.

World Bank Group souvenirs, logoed items, and various sundries will be available in the Annual Meetings Store in the MC Level C1, and at Café Nation, also located on the MC C1 level. Hours for the Annual Meetings Store will be 9:00am – 5:00pm (Monday to Friday) and 9:00am – 4:00pm (Saturday); Hours for Café Nation will be 8:00am – 5:30pm (Monday through Friday) and 7:30am – 3:00pm (Saturday).

Annual Meetings participants should follow prevailing health and safety guidance. Participants feeling unwell should not come to the Meetings Venues. 

Health and medical service will be provided by the MedStar Health Clinic, located in the Bank MC Building, Level C2. In addition to the normal weekday operations, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Health Clinic will be available, as needed, on Saturday, October 26. Participants who have medicines requiring refrigeration may use the facilities in the Health Clinic for this purpose. For non-emergent medical needs, contact the on-site Medstar clinic at +1-202-842-1500 during office hours.

Emergency ambulance service can be requested by dialing +1-202-458-8888 from within any WBG building and +1-202-623-9911 from within any IMF building. For emergencies outside the IMF/WBG buildings, dial 911.

TRAVEL ADVISORY REGARDING MARBURG VIRUS

In the context of travel to the U.S., particularly as we approach the WBG/IMF Annual Meetings, please be advised of the following:

New U.S. Travel Restrictions:

• Starting the week of October 14, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct health screenings at O'Hare (Chicago), JFK (New York), and Dulles (Washington, DC) airports for travelers arriving from Rwanda or those who have been in Rwanda within 21 days prior to arrival.
• Travelers will undergo interviews and potential temperature checks. Those who have had contact with the Rwandan healthcare system will be considered ‘high risk’ which could trigger daily contact with the CDC. Those with no healthcare exposure will be considered ‘low risk’, but should symptoms develop, may be bumped to a ‘high risk’ category.

Guidance for Annual Meeting Attendees:

• If you have visited Rwanda in the past 21 days and develop any symptoms, do not travel and remain at home.
• Travelers arriving at Dulles may be screened by the CDC. Symptomatic individuals or those considered high-risk may be quarantined, with local DC Health officials determining the quarantine location.
• Anyone who develops symptoms after arrival will be expected to inform the DC Health authorities. The WBG/IMF Health and Safety Directorate (HSD) can assist by providing contact information for DC Health authorities if required.
• Meeting attendees from Rwanda or individuals planning to visit Rwanda before the Annual Meetings are encouraged to reconsider their travel plans.

General Precautions for Travel to Rwanda:

• The CDC has raised its travel warning for Rwanda to Level 3, advising Americans to "reconsider nonessential travel."
• Avoid contact with symptomatic individuals, healthcare facilities, and areas where bats are active, such as caves.
• WBG/IMF staff or dependents in Rwanda who develop symptoms should contact local health authorities and reach out to WBG/IMF emergency helplines.

HSD is working closely with local and internationals health authorities to coordinate logistics and further messaging to attendees which, in addition to Marburg virus, may also involve information about mpox for individuals arriving from Central Africa (though there will not be screening at the airport for mpox).

A NOTE FOR ATTENDEES REGARDING MPOX

Pursuant to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, identifying Mpox outbreaks in Africa as a "A Public Health Emergency of International Concern", the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment to all guests attending the 2024 Annual Meetings.

In keeping with WHO recommendations for gatherings, The Joint Bank-Fund Health and Safety Directorate (HSD) provides the following guidance for attendees once they arrive in Washington DC:

• Practice good respiratory hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Wash your hands or using hand sanitizer regularly, and always after coughing or sneezing. 
• If you develop any symptoms, do not attend meetings in-person until cleared by an HSD Health Specialist who can be reached by sending an email to HSD Travel Health (travelhealth@worldbank.org) during the day, or by calling (202) 458-8888 after business hours and asking to speak to the medical duty officer on call.

An information desk will be available in the MC lobby from Monday, October 21, through Saturday, October 26. An information desk will also be available in the I building near Registration from Monday, October 21, through Friday, October 25. 

Information desks will be located in the IMF HQ1 and HQ2 buildings from Monday, October 21, through Saturday, October 26.

During the week of the 2024 Annual Meetings, there will be an increased police presence around IMF/World Bank headquarters buildings. In the event of an emergency, please follow the instructions of security and law enforcement officials. Please note the access arrangements for the Annual Meetings:

Monday, October 21 - Wednesday, October 23 and Saturday, October 26: 

All Annual Meetings attendees entering HQ buildings will be subject to magnetometer and x-ray screening. The following are entry points for Annual Meetings participants:

• HQ1 19th Street entrance.
• HQ2 Visitor’s Center (Press Only entrance).
• WBG MC North entrance
• WBG MC East entrance

Thursday, October 24 - Friday, October 25:

A security perimeter will be in place around the IMF HQ 1 & 2 buildings and World Bank MC building from Thursday, October 24, through Friday evening, October 25.

Perimeter entry points for IMF/World Bank badge and Annual Meetings badge holders will be set up at the IMF’s HQ2 Entrance (corner of 19th Street/Pennsylvania Ave), and World Bank’s MC South Entrance (G Street between 18^th and 19^th Streett), and World Bank MC Visitor Center Entrance (18th Street/Pennsylvania Ave). 

When the Security Perimeter is up:

• Access will be limited to those carrying an Annual Meetings or IMF/World Bank badge.
• Annual Meetings badge holders entering the security perimeter will be subject to magnetometer/x-ray screening – please allow extra time for this process.
• Individuals with IMF/World Bank hard badges can bypass screening at all entrances.
• Visitor passes will not be issued for the IMF’s HQ1/HQ2 and World Bank’s MC and J buildings.
• Delegation cars or other private vehicles will not be allowed to enter the security perimeter; only law enforcement vehicles or police-escorted motorcades will be allowed into the security perimeter. Delegation cars may drop off near perimeter entry points.

On Monday, October 28:

Access restrictions will revert to normal work week access procedures for IMF and World Bank personnel. Annual Meetings Delegate badge holders will have access to the buildings until Friday, November 1, and will be screened at HQ Visitor Centers. Regular visitor pass rules apply. Members of the press requiring building access after October 26 must comply with IMF/World Bank visitor procedures.

In an emergency, the buildings may be evacuated, or you may be told to remain indoors until the situation has been resolved. In either instance, you will be notified by public address announcement, messages on digital signage/video monitors, or by security personnel. If you are mobility-impaired and cannot evacuate, call the Emergency Response number listed below or seek assistance using one of the emergency phones located in every stairwell on each floor of both IMF buildings.

Security Tips

Visibly display your Meetings ID badge at all times inside the venues. Keep your ID badge in a secure place when outside the security perimeter, but readily accessible in order to display it upon request at security checkpoints.

• Immediately report the loss of your ID badge to security.
• Do not leave laptops, mobile phones, or other personal items unattended.

In line with our organizational mission and the Sustainable Development Goals, World Bank HQ has implemented a campus-wide waste disposal system to improve recycling and composting efforts and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. In the common areas on each floor of the buildings, you will find 4 color-coded collection bins with detailed signage indicating what materials are to be placed in each: 

Green: Recycling - Paper, including water boxes and cardboard

Blue: Recycling - Other recyclables, like bottles, cans, and plastic

Red: Composting - Compostables, including food waste and all WB take-away containers

Black: Landfill - Any items that can't be recycled/composted. If you are unsure, place items here.

We encourage attendees to assist our sustainability efforts and respect our planet's resources by doing your part to reduce our overall environmental footprint. 

No dedicated transportation service will be provided between the airports and Meetings venues or Official Hotels. Participants should arrange their own transportation. Parking facilities are not available for attendees at the Annual Meetings venues. 

Metro: Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation when possible; parking facilities are not available for attendees at the Spring Meetings venues. The closest metro station to the Spring Meetings is the Farragut West Station on the Blue/Orange/Silver lines, and the Farragut North station on the red line. Visit the Metro website for more information.

DC Circulator: http://www.dccirculator.com

Other Options: 

• Taxi service: Please arrange with your hotel concerning local taxi service.
• Capital Bikeshare
• Uber
• Lyft

Wi-Fi will be available throughout the Meetings venues with the amguest network. No password required.