Medellín has a privileged climate, and it is really common to hear national and international travelers express that it is one of the most pleasant climates in the country, this is because it is characterized by being neither very hot nor very cold, with a temperature average between 16°C and 26°C.
Our recommendation is to come prepared for the unpredictability of a humid subtropical climate characterized by a temperate environment with frequent rains throughout the year, so bringing a waterproof jacket and a pair of boots in your suitcase would not be bad, as well as of course clothing; light and fresh for sunny days, which are most of them.

The currency used in Medellín is the Colombian peso (COP), which has denominations of bills of two thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, twenty thousand, fifty thousand and one hundred thousand pesos. The last two are high denomination bills, which are less frequently used when making small purchases, especially in informal places or on the street, so we recommend changing them to avoid any inconvenience.
At the same time, it is important to know that in Colombia cash is much more common than plastic bank cards, however purchases with credit cards can be made in hotels, supermarkets, stores in shopping centers, restaurants, among others.
Colombia also has coins which are commonly used. Their denominations are: one thousand, five hundred, two hundred, one hundred and fifty pesos, they are very useful to adjust the payment of public transportation services, food, tips, among others.

Medellín has around 2,500,000 inhabitants, which along with the nine municipalities in its metropolitan area add up to almost 3,800,000, all of them characterized by being part of a hospitable culture, always friendly and with a high sense of belonging to the city.

Colombia has one time zone, Colombia Time (COT), which is in the UTC−05:00 zone, 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Its standard time zone abbreviation is COT.

Drinking water
The water in Medellín is drinkable and you can easily drink it from the tap or faucet. In fact, the city and its metropolitan area offer one of the best qualities of drinking water in Colombia and coverage in basic sanitation is greater than 90%.

International System of Units
Colombia uses the International System of Units (SI). This is very important for measuring proportions and distances, because instead of inches, feet, or miles, you'll see centimeters, meters, and kilometers. In the same way, weights are measured in grams, kilograms and tons; speed is measured in kilometers per hour (km/h) and temperature is measured in degrees Celsius or centigrade (°C).

Electricity
In Colombia, electrical connectors have two flat input pins or a third round pin. In Medellín, as in the entire country, the power voltage is 110 volts, the frequency is 60 Hz and the plugs are type A / B. Likewise, both power adapters and voltage regulators are easy to obtain in hardware stores, specialized stores and large stores.

Digital connectivity
Medellín is the city with the largest free internet connection in Colombia and has more than 300 Wi-Fi zones in public places such as parks, sports units and subway stations, in the 16 communes and five townships of the city, thus seeking to democratize access to technology. According to Speedtest, by July 2022, Medellín had an average upload speed of 9.13 Mbps (Megabits per second).

Traveling to Medellín is safe, its history of violence is in the past and today Medellín flourishes thanks to its social and urban transformation, which can be witnessed in important tourist sites in the city, such as Comuna 13 or the Casa de la Memoria Museum, among others.

Medellín has several iconic tourist sites that visitors come to discover, including the iconic Plaza Botero, the highly recommended Comuna 13 and Pueblito Paisa.
Other attractions increasingly visited are the Explora Park, the Arví Ecotourism Park and the Casa de la Memoria Museum, a place designed to amplify the voice of the victims of the armed conflict during the city’s and country’s most violent period.
These attractions reflect an innovative city that has transformed itself over time.

The city has an advanced public transportation system that includes the Medellín Subway, the first and only subway in Colombia, as well as cable cars (Metrocable), trams, and an integrated bus system. These initiatives have been key to the urban transformation of Medellín.

The city of Medellín is located close to two airports:

1. José María Córdova International Airport (MDE), located 35 km southeast of Medellín in the municipality of Rionegro. It is the most important airport in Antioquia and the second at national level after El Dorado in Bogotá.
2. Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH) is in the Guayabal commune of Medellín. It serves regional, national and international general and commercial aviation flights.

Some of the typical dishes of Medellín and the region are the bandeja paisa, the sancocho antioqueño, the arepa paisa, the mondongo and the tamal antioqueño. These dishes reflect the culinary tradition of the region and the authentic flavors of Antioquia.

In Medellín, there is a wide variety of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Some of the best restaurants in the city include La Provincia, Hato Viejo, Carmen, El Cielo, and El Herbario. These places offer delicious and authentic dishes that will allow you to explore the local culinary scene. Recommended areas to find a variety of restaurants include: El Poblado, Provenza, Palmas, Milla de Oro, and Oviedo.

This information can be found in the travel information note. Other information can be found on the national Forum website.

No, the Forum is a United Nations conference which means there are no fees or restriction on who can register or attend the Forum but for those wishing to attend in-person are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs.

The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) will be working closely with the UNWDF secretariat (Statistics Division) and host country to ensure that the conference facilities are safe and secure for all participants. The current UNDSS travel advisory for the city of Medellín and security officer contact details can be found here.

The registration to access the UN World Data Forum 2024 online event platform is now OPEN. The registration to travel and participate in-person at the venue is CLOSED.

A completed registration will generate an acknowledgement email which the UNWDF secretariat (Statistics Division) will review and approve. This is usually sufficient as an invitation. If a more official invitation is needed please contact: dataforum@un.org.

It will still be possible to watch the opening ceremony, the four thematic high-level plenaries and the closing session online as a virtual attendee. The online event platform is now open for registration. We recommend downloading and using the app rather than the browser version (search vFairs in any app store) for its full functionality. You may have to register first for an account through the main website.

The registration to access the online event platform is now open. We recommend downloading and using the app rather than the browser version (search vFairs in any app store) for its full functionality. You may have to register first for an account through the main website.

After the organisers review your registration, you will receive an approval email from “UN World Data Forum” with a letter attached to assist you with applying for a visa (as applicable). Please check your inbox and junk folder for this approval email.

This information can be found in the visa information note. Other information can be found on the national Forum website.

Unfortunately, we can not approve everyone. Due to capacity restrictions at the venue, approval will be granted based on an equitable representation across countries and data communities set by the organisers.

Only the opening ceremony, the four thematic high-level plenaries and the closing session will be broadcast and recorded from the venue. The Forum has now launched an online event platform for attendees to better understand the programme, speakers, watch broadcasts and see who else is attending. The online event platform will be accessible through a web browser or smartphone app (recommended), search vFairs in any app store. Recordings of past sessions can also be found on the platform and through the playlists on our YouTube channel.

The UNWDF secretariat (Statistics Division) may have some limited funds for sponsoring travel and accommodation. These are usually reserved for those contributing to the programme either as organiser or speaker and they are provided thanks to the generous support of the host country and other partners. Those wishing to apply are welcome to email: dataforum@un.org and your request will be considered among other requests we receive as funds are decided.

The Forum does not issue certificates of participation. However, we note the interest shown in receiving a formal document indicating you have attended a Forum. We will explore this idea further with the UNWDF Programme Committee and each host country to come up with a meaningful way to issue them in future Forum; taking account of the value participants received from attendance.

The Forum is an in-person event to enable more creative formats and ensure high levels of engagement and networking at the venue. In contrast to the most recently held Forums, only by special exception will any virtual or hybrid mode of delivery be permitted in the programme, this includes speakers connecting remotely.

Both the conference venue and the online event platform will be made accessible to persons with disabilities. In-person, the venue hotel and transport vehicles will be equipped with disability access and a team of volunteers will be available to aid you whereas virtually, the online event platform is chosen to meet accessibility requirements. We recommend downloading and using the app rather than the browser version (search vFairs in any app store) for its full functionality. You may have to register first for an account through the main website. If you have any accessibility issues or requests please contact dataforum@un.org.

The Forum has now launched an online event platform. The online event platform will be accessible through a web browser or smartphone app (recommended), search vFairs in any app store, for attendees to better understand the programme, speakers, watch broadcasts and see who else is attending. Only the opening ceremony, the four thematic high-level plenaries and the closing session will be broadcast and recorded from the venue. If you have any accessibility issues or requests please contact dataforum@un.org.

Given the mandate of the United Nations and the generous contribution from the host country and other partners, the Programme Committee will ensure the programme contains an equitable distribution of underrepresented groups and speakers from the global South. The Programme Committee will also make efforts to link sponsorships and partnerships with other donors to ensure the greater participation. However, there are no sponsorship funds specifically allocated to these groups as of now.

Please join the UN World Data Forum Mailing List to stay informed about on the latest news and updates regarding the Forum.

The Call closed on 12 February 2024. Please refer to Call for Programme Proposals for more information.

The Forum serves as a space for all participants to propose, present, launch or share their work with a larger audience. As the Forum is not a formal inter-governmental process, there will be no side events or plenary.

The selection of the Programme Committee is made by the High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB).

While the Forum is conducted mainly in English, proposals are accepted in any of the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). If the proposal selected by the Programme Committee, the proposer is responsible for providing interpretation into English unless this is provided by the hosts.

A proposal should be aimed at making an important contribution or action towards the implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan (CTGAP) for sustainable development data and data as a public good aligned with the Thematic Areas.

There are opportunities in the programme to focus on some regional and national issues, but it is important to note that the Forum is followed by an international and very diverse audience representing different communities.

Yes, more than one proposal can be submitted as long as the content proposed is substantively different.

The Programme Committee encourages participants to put forward proposals which contain a good mix of different regional and data community perspectives as applicable. The Committee will attempt to balance these aspects across the programme.

Yes, proposals on data and statistical literacy are very important areas and are welcome to be presented at the Forum as long as they contribute towards the implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan (CTGAP) for sustainable development data and data as a public good aligned with the Thematic Areas.

If the proposal presented is based on a single organisation covering the presenter’s own work, the Programme Committee recommends a submitting proposal for the “Shortened session: Ignite/lightning talks” format or the three special formats (i.e., announcement, learning labs or demos).

Along with the panel discussions and short talk formats, three other types were introduced; announcements, demonstrations and learning labs, to allow for more creative ideas and sharing of solutions on data and statistics. The Programme Committee will be working closely with the host country to develop and curate a space to ensure that the sharing of creative ideas is presented in the most engaging way (cost permitting).

No, the selection criteria will be objectively based on the proposal contents and balance in terms of topics, formats and speaker representation by gender, data community and region across the programme.

The Call for Programme Proposals is aimed at providing the content for the parallel events.

The action to be taken with reference to other proposals depends on the format that your proposal was accepted by the Programme Committee in.
For announcements, demos and short-talk formats, the Programme Committee recommends in their decision to combine 3-5 proposals in the same format into the same session timeslot, each proposal has then equal time in the session. The Committee encourages those proposers in a combined decision to discuss selecting a master of ceremonies to introduce each proposal in the session and submit a single entry for the published programme which covers the combined proposals.
For panel discussions and learning lab formats, the Programme Committee recommends in their decisions for proposals which were strongly scored but overlapped in topic would be beneficial to merge these proposals to cover the same session timeslot. If a merge decision involves two proposals, then this is usually for the two organisers to work together to resubmit a merged proposal. If a merge decision involves more than two proposals, then one or two of the proposers are identified as coordinators and asked to consider speakers or talking points from the other proposals. Again, all proposers part of the merge decision are asked to work together for the coordinators/organisers to resubmit the proposal.
In any combination/merger decision, all those involved are included in the decision email to facilitate any working between proposal contacts. If any proposers drop out of the session then usually the remaining proposers are welcome to continue to plan the session. The secretariat is ready to support the process and stands ready to advise if disagreements arise. In all cases any resubmitted proposal [with reference to a Programme ID] from a combination or merge decision should not stray from the original descriptions too much and be feasible to conduct in the timeslot allocated (i.e. have a reasonable number of speakers). The Programme Committee reserve the right to request further adjustments, especially to balance gender, region and data community representation across the parallel programme in general and session in particular.

The exhibit spaces can be requested through the host. Please contact foromundialdatos@dane.gov.co and copy dataforum@un.org with your request.

The next Forum is a space to discuss with different data communities, private and research institutions. The Forum community should be sustainable, and the information shared should trickle down to various communities. Some special sessions like ministerial-level forum, youth forum and entrepreneurs forum are under planning to enrich the coverage and attractiveness of the Forum. Moreover, this year we will have “Learning” and “Demonstration” sessions for those participating in-person.

They can submit any related communication material to the following email address: dataforum@un.org.

The hashtags used for the forthcoming Forum are: #undataforum, #betterdata, #SDGs, #datainnovation #datapartnerships.

The Forum has now launched an online event platform accessible through a web browser or smartphone app (recommended), search vFairs in any app store, for attendees to better understand the programme, speakers, watch broadcasts and see who else is attending. Only the opening ceremony, the four thematic high-level plenaries and the closing session will be broadcast and recorded from the venue. Recordings of past sessions can also be found on the platform and through the playlists on our YoutTube channel.

Yes, this is available through the online event platform now. We recommend downloading and using the app rather than the browser version (search vFairs in any app store) for its full functionality. You may have to register first for an account through the main website.