FIG Working Week 2012 - Visit of FIG President

FIG Working Week 2011

Report of the Visit of the Local Organising Committee to Marrakech 3-4 May 2011

Under the guidelines of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior as coordinated with the Governor of the Region of Marrakech, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of FIG Working Week 2011 visited the venue of the Working Week in Marrakech during 3rd and 4th May 2011 to set up the last preparations of the event.

A series of meetings were organized with the LOC representative members to get an overview of the technical visits, social tours, plenary, and technical sessions. LOC had inspected the accommodation hotels, the restaurants that will host dinners, and the venue of the FIG WW 2011, Palais des congrès.

More fundamental meetings were scheduled with all the authority departments such as Safety division, Fire fighters division, Police department, Healthy and Hygienic division, Airport Director, Local Director of the National Office of Railway, and the Customer Service at the Airport.

The Governor of Marrakech strongly expressed his support to the FIG WW Marrakech 2011 and confirmed that all departments are engaged to ensure the very supreme conditions to hold successfully the event. He therefore addressed his instructions to the various service representatives who are committed to ensure and implement all the necessary logistics for the safety of participants and the success of the meeting. Decisions made mention the security of all sites the of technical and social tours, ease of entry at airports, the systematic control of access to the venue of the meetings.

After the visit President Aziz Hilali held in Rabat at the headquarters of the ONIGT a press conference. It was attended by all the mass com, radio and national television. The briefing was an opportunity to reiterate the strong condemnation of the incident happened in April 25th in Marrakech and to express the strong support to the families of the innocents.

President Hilali made a brief presentation on the conference and on the progress of the final steps before the launch of the event in 18th May 2011.

Finally, it was communicated to the President of ONIGT that the government is strongly engaged to support the event and the Prime Minister has confirmed his attendance at the official opening session of the event to be held on the 19th of May at 18:00.

After the visit of LOC to Marrakech 3-4 FIG President CheeHai Teo has given the following statement 6 May 2011:

"FIG welcomes the efforts of ONIGT, the local co-organizer, to engage various authorities including the Ministry of the Interior and the Governor of the Marrakech Region to implement appropriate arrangements and measures aimed at assuring the security and safety of all participants at the upcoming FIG Working Week. FIG thanked the Moroccan authorities for their continuing support and assurances, as well as all the additional measures taken. We look towards a successful Working Week."

Announcements after the incident 25th April 2011

FIG President CheeHai Teo on 28 April 2011:

"FIG regrets the incident in Marrakech earlier today with reported casualties. We are keeping watch on the situation together with our local co-organiser knowing full well that situation such as this can change very suddenly, for the worse or for the better. The FIG 2011 Working Week is still some 19 days away and we will need to keep abreast with latest development in Marrakech and Morocco from now on. We are very mindful of the security and safety of all intended participants at our upcoming FIG Working Week, and we advise all participants to base their decision to travel to Marrakech on the extent of governmental advisories and prohibitions, on their own assessment of the level of personal safety and more importantly the level of anxiety of their loved ones who stayed home.
We deeply regret the lost of innocent lives and extend our condolences."

ONIGT President Aziz Hilali has given the attached announcement 2 May 2011.

6 May 2011