Security & Safety

The utmost priority of any Congress Organizers anywhere in the world is the security and well being of visitors and participants. For this very reason, the WCN 2007 Congress Organizing Committee and Local Organizing Committee have been taking the necessary steps to ensure maximized security and safety – thus enabling you to enjoy Rio to the full!

In collaboration with Rio’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (RCVB), concrete plans and actions are already underway to provide even better security throughout the city to ensure that all WCN 2007 participants feel perfectly and naturally at ease upon arrival in Rio and throughout the entirety of their stay. To provide all participants with an overview of these measures specially devised to better serve all visitors and to truthfully dispel general misconceptions and media hype surrounding security and safety issues in Rio de Janeiro, the RCVB has issued an official statement.

In addition to these enforcements the WCN Organizing Committee is currently setting up official agreements with WCN 2007 endorsed taxi companies, organizing official WCN 2007 bus shuttle services as well as many other elements to ensure that everyone’s stay in Rio be a wonderful and unforgettable experience on both the scientific and tourist levels!

As we countdown to WCN 2007, additional information will be confirmed on the WCN 2007 website and through special e-communications (such as the Congress Update Service - if you have not yet registered to receive this special communication please click here) to fully inform on all the latest plans and developments.
In the meantime, we list below a few precautionary and common sense tips which are generally applicable to any cosmopolitan city regardless of geographical location!

Precautionary Measures

• Avoid taking public transport. With cheap and readily available official taxis (more information to follow in due course), public transportation should and can be easily avoided.
• Be aware of tourist “hot-spots”. Visitors should be particularly alert and aware when visiting popular tourist areas such as Rio’s beaches, downtown Rio, and the Copacabana and Ipanema districts. In most tourist areas (as described in detail in the official statement recently issued for WCN 2007 participants by Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau), Rio’s Tourist Police – an official branch of the civil police – are readily available to all visitors. These specially trained police officers constantly patrol popular touristy areas around the city, and are there to direct, inform and protect visitors. Many of the officers speak foreign languages or are able to call upon a translator if required.
• Common Sense – the best way to avoid theft is to blend in and take the absolute minimum in cash when going out and leave valuables such as jewelry or wristwatches as well as documentation such as passports in hotel safety deposit boxes. It is strongly recommended to take travelers checks, with the receipt numbers retained separately, and hand bags/money belts should be appropriately guarded.