ABOUT THE FORUM

What is the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum?

The Economic and Humanitarian Forum, which is taking place as part of the second Russia–Africa Summit, is a unique event in Russian–African relations.

The upcoming Forum is set to diversify the scope and nature of Russian–African cooperation, in turn setting the course of its long-term development.

The Forum’s extensive programme will allow participants to discuss the issues of most relevance to Russian–African cooperation in detail. A large-scale exhibition will be held at the event.

The first Summit was held in 2019 in Sochi, with the Russia–Africa Economic Forum taking place in tandem with the Summit. You can find out more about the events in the About the Summit and About the Forum sections.

When and where will the Forum take place?

The main events of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will take place at the ExpoForum Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Address: 64/1, Peterburgskoye Shosse, St. Petersburg

More information can be found in the Forum venue section.

Who is organizing the Forum?

For a full list, please see the Organizing Committee section. 

The preparation and running of the Forum is being overseen by the Roscongress Foundation.

BUSINESS PROGRAMME

Which events are included in the Forum business programme?

The public discussion being held as part of the business programme will deal with the most pressing issues on the Russian–African agenda. Taking into account the full extent of cooperation between Russia and the African nations, which extends beyond economic activity, a decision was taken to expand the 2023 edition of the Forum with a significant humanitarian element.

The full programme will be published on the website closer to the Forum date.

How can I take part in the Forum as a moderator or speaker?

Should you wish to participate in the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum as a moderator or speaker, please email your request to the Organizing Committee. For more information, please contact the Forum information centre: +7 (812) 406 7471

Where can I watch broadcasts of the Forum events?

A live broadcast of the plenary session and other business programme events, as well as the broadcast archive, will be available in English:

  • In the ‘Programme’ section on the Forum website
  • On the Roscongress Foundation website

A broadcast archive following the event will be available on the Forum website, subject to registration in the Roscongress personal account.

EXHIBITION

An exhibition set to be held at the Forum will provide a key communication platform for showcasing achievements and opportunities in finance, science, ecology and culture.

For any questions about participation in the exhibition, please contact the Partner and Exhibitor Relations Directorate:

+7 (812) 406 7471
+7 (495) 640 7844

partners@roscongress.org

PARTICIPATION IN THE FORUM

How can I take part in the Forum?

If you wish to submit an application to attend the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, please sign up for a Roscongress personal account on the foundation website (roscongress.org).

Once you have completed the registration process, an email will be sent to the address you specified, containing your login and password for your Roscongress personal account.

You already have your Roscongress personal account if you attended a Roscongress Foundation event in 2020, 2021 or 2022 (St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Energy Week).

If you have a Roscongress personal account, you can apply to participate in the Forum in the ‘Upcoming’ section of your personal account. The details from your account profile will be added to your application automatically.

What should I do if I forgot my login or password for the Roscongress personal account?

If you have forgotten your login and password, you can use the login and password recovery function on the Roscongress personal account login page or contact us by email: weboffice@roscongress.org

How can I check the status of my application?

Your application status will be visible in the ‘My events’ section of the Roscongress personal account. Participation applications will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee. 

If your application is approved, you will be sent an invitation to the Forum, and your application status will be updated in real time in your account. The exact time of the review process varies for each applicant.

To participate in the Forum, you must be in receipt of a written invitation issued by the Organizing Committee.

Can an application to participate be denied?

The Organizing Committee reserves the right to refuse an invitation to an applicant without explanation.

How do I confirm attendance?

Once you have received your invitation, please confirm your participation in the Forum in the ‘My events – Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – Event dashboard’ section of your account. 

If you no longer plan to attend the event, please also inform us of your decision via your Roscongress personal account.

What is included in participation in the Forum?

For a description of a participation package, please visit the Conditions for participation section of the website.

How much is the participation fee?

Participation in the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum is free of charge.

Do the participant package include access to the plenary session?

Access to the plenary session is by special invitation only, and will not be offered as part of the participation package.

How do I decline to participate in the Forum?

Participants who have received an invitation but have decided not to attend the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, or who have previously confirmed their participation but no longer plan to attend are kindly requested to officially decline their participation via the Roscongress personal account or by informing the Roscongress Foundation specialist you are in touch with regarding your participation in the Forum.

Your login and password for the Roscongress personal account were emailed to you when you first applied to attend a Roscongress Foundation event. If you have forgotten your login and password, you can use the login and password recovery function on the Roscongress personal account login page or contact us by email:weboffice@roscongress.org.

If a participant cannot attend the Forum, can a colleague from the same organization take their place?

A participant can only be substituted with the approval of the Forum Organizing Committee. If a participant who has confirmed their participation can no longer attend the Congress for any reason, and you wish to arrange a replacement, please contact the Roscongress Foundation specialist you are in touch with regarding your participation in the Forum.

The contact information can be found in the Roscongress personal account and in your invitation letter.

ROSCONGRESS PERSONAL ACCOUNT

What is the Roscongress personal account?

The Roscongress personal account is an information space, communication tool, and service platform for participants of all Roscongress Foundation events.

Features:

  • submit applications to attend events organized or operated by the Roscongress Foundation;
  • browse upcoming events and plan your personal schedule using the business calendar;
  • receive updates to your participation status and learn about services offered at various events organized by the Roscongress Foundation;
  • access resources and analysis on previous events organized by the Foundation.
How do I register via the Roscongress personal account?

You can register for a Roscongress personal account on the Roscongress Foundation website.

You can register for a Roscongress personal account in five simple steps. Step one is to fill in your personal details. You will then be prompted to provide your passport details, information about your organization and your contact details. The fifth and final step is to select the event.

Once you have completed the registration process, an email will be sent to the address you have provided containing your login and password for your Roscongress personal account.

How do I log in to my Roscongress personal account?

To log in to your Roscongress personal account, please enter the login and password emailed to you when you first registered for your account. If you have forgotten your login and password, you can use the login and password recovery function on the Roscongress personal account login page or contact us by email:weboffice@roscongress.org.

I already have Roscongress personal account, I have forgotten my login and password. What should I do?

If you have forgotten your login and password, you can use the login and password recovery function on the Roscongress personal account login page or contact us by email: weboffice@roscongress.org.

How is the confidentiality of data in the Roscongress personal account protected?

The Roscongress Foundation strictly adheres to legal requirements governing the protection of every participant’s personal data.

The Roscongress personal account has been developed using SSL data encryption technology to ensure the highest levels of security and confidentiality of your personal information.

Do I have to agree to the processing of personal data?

When registering for a Roscongress personal account or applying to attend the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, participants must consent to the processing of their personal data. This consent is a requirement under Russian law, and applications to participate in events cannot be processed without it.

The full terms and conditions for processing personal data can be found on the Roscongress personal accountregistration page.

Do I have to agree to have information about my participation in the Forum posted?

If you would like the information about your participation in the Forum to be available to other participants, please confirm your consent to the posting of information (publication) on the roscongress.org website.

How can I make changes to my personal information?

Should you wish to edit your personal information, go to the ‘My events’ section of the Roscongress personal accountand select the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.

If you need to edit your personal information as it appears in the general settings of your Roscongress personal account, or if you need to make changes to uneditable fields, please contact the Roscongress Foundation specialist you are in touch with regarding your participation in the Forum. 

Contact information can be found in your invitation letter. Alternatively, call the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum information centre on +7 (812) 406 7471.

There’s an error in my personal data in the Roscongress personal account. Do I have to make changes myself?

In order to get your badge prepared for issuance, the information in the Roscongress personal account must completely match the data in your passport. In the ‘Event dashboard’ section of the Roscongress personal account you should: 

  • enter your personal information in full in accordance with your passport; 
  • upload a required photo for your badge; 
  • upload a scanned copy of your passport (pages 2 and 3). Please note that you can't edit or replace your photo once you've saved the scanned copy of your passport.
Why do I need to provide a scanned copy of my passport?

To get your badge prepared, you must upload a scanned copy of your passport (pages 2 and 3) to your Roscongress personal account (My events – Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – Event dashboard – Personal information – Edit)

Please make sure that the scanned copy is legible and contains all the information about the data indicated during registration, including the series and number of the document, issuing authority, date of issuance, and the photo.

Formats supported: jpg, jpeg, pdf, png.

What features are available in the ‘Event dashboard’ section?

Participants who have received an invitation can confirm their participation in the Forum in the ‘My events – Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – Event dashboard’ section of their account. 

Participants can also use the ‘Event dashboard’ to do the following:

  • edit their personal data;
  • upload badge photograph;
  • generate an invitation for foreign visitors (if a visa is required to enter the Russian Federation);
  • request services;
  • provide information on their COVID-19 immunity status.
Where should I provide information on my COVID-19 immunity status?

Closer to the dates of the event, will become available the COVID-19 section in the Roscongress personal account, in which all participants will be asked to submit information on their COVID-19 immunity status (presence/absence of antibodies and vaccination information).

ACCESS TO THE VENUE

How do I access the Forum venue?

The business programme venue may only be accessed with an accreditation badge for the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. 

The badge is personalized and may not be transferred to third parties. Participants should keep their badges and identity documents with them at all times while at the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum venue.

In order to avoid any inconvenience when accessing the venue, participants are advised to leave any prohibited items at their accommodation or in their vehicle. A full list of prohibited items will be published on the website in due course.

What should I check before collecting my badge?

To prepare your badge for collection, you must ensure that the information in the Roscongress personal account is identical to the information in your passport. Before collecting their badges, participants are advised to ensure the following:

  • participation in the Forum is confirmed via the Roscongress personal account;
  • personal information provided in the Roscongress personal account matches participants’ ID exactly;
  • a badge photo has been uploaded to the Roscongress personal account;
  • a scanned copy of your passport (pages 2 and 3) has been uploaded. Please note that you can't edit or replace your photo once you've saved the scanned copy of your passport.
Why do I need to submit a scanned copy of my passport?

In order to expedite the procedure for issuing a badge, participants may upload a scan of their passport (pages containing photo and ID info) in the 'My Events – Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – Event dashboard – Personal information' section of the Roscongress personal account.

Please ensure that scans are legible and contain all the information entered during registration, including passport number and serial number (if applicable), passport issuing authority, date of issue, and photograph.

What are the requirements for the badge photograph?

Photograph requirements:

  • colour photograph on a light background;
  • 480x640 pixels in size;
  • image format – JPG or JPEG;
  • front view of the participant’s entire face, without head covering;
  • subject’s face must take up at least 70% of the image.
How can I check that my badge is ready for collection?

All participants will be notified by e-mail when the badge is ready. Also, you can check whether your accreditation badge is ready for collection in the Roscongress personal account, or via the specialist at the Roscongress Foundation, or by calling the Forum information centre at +7 (812) 406 7471.

If there is insufficient data to issue the badge, participants will also receive an email notification asking them to enter the missing data.

What documents are required to collect participant badge?

A participant badge can be collected in person upon presentation of:

Alternatively, badges may be collected by an authorized representative under power of attorney.

If information contained in the participant’s ID has changed in the time since a participation application was submitted, the participant’s Roscongress personal account must be updated accordingly. If changes need to be made to uneditable fields, please contact your personal manager at the Roscongress Foundation.

Before issuing a badge, a member of staff at the accreditation point will check that the information in the Roscongress personal account matches that on the document provided. Should there be any discrepancies, it will not be possible to issue a badge on the same day.

Can one organization representative collect the badges of all people participating in the Forum from that organization?

Absolutely. If the badge is being collected by an authorized representative, they must provide the following:

  1. Authorized person’s passport
  2. Original of standard power of attorney*
  3. List of participants (attached to the power of attorney)
  4. Copies of participants’ passports**
  5. Originals of personal data consent forms

The power of attorney form and an example of how to complete it will be available for download from the ‘Badge collection’ section of the website nearer the time of the Forum.

Where do I get my badge?

Badges can be collected from one of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum accreditations points. The locations and operating hours of the accreditation points will be published in the ‘Badge collection’ section of the website nearer the time of the event.

Can I replace a lost or damaged badge?

If your accreditation badge is lost or damaged, please go to the Help Desk or any accreditation stand immediately. The badge will then be blocked, and a replacement badge will be issued to the holder upon written request.

TRANSPORT

What’s the best way of getting to the Forum venue?

We recommend arriving at the Forum venue using free shuttle bus.

Free shuttle buses will be able to access the venue via checkpoint 1 and stop next to entrances G and H.

Unaccredited transport and taxis will not be granted access to the venue.

Will it be possible to rent a vehicle?

Participants can use the accredited vehicle with driver rental service. More information is available in the Car rental section on the website.

Can I use an unaccredited vehicle?

No. Traffic on Peterburgskoye Shosse will be restricted between Pulkovskoye Shosse and Vitebsky Prospekt.

We recommend arriving at the Forum venue using free shuttle bus.

Are buses being arranged for participants?

Free shuttle buses will be arranged for participants and media representatives during the event. The current timetable for shuttle buses can be found in the ‘Services’ section of the website.

The journey time from ExpoForum to the historic centre of St. Petersburg is 30–60 minutes depending on traffic, while the journey from Pulkovo Airport to ExpoForum is around 15 minutes by car.

SERVICES

How do I book a hotel?

Participants can book rooms in St. Petersburg hotels at special rates. More detailed information can be found in the Reservation service section, while a list of hotels is available in the Hotels section.

Will catering be available at the Forum venue?

Several coffee break areas and a restaurant with free catering services will be in operation at the Forum venue.

Catering services for media representatives will be arranged at the press centre. 

All dining areas for participants and the media will comply with Rospotrebnadzor guidelines for holding convention and exhibition events.

Where can I find photos from the Forum venue?

The Roscongress Foundation provides photography for all business, cultural, sports and entertainment programme events at the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, as well as at other events organized by the Foundation. Photographs are published in the Roscongress photo bank in real time. Images can be displayed by event and date to facilitate browsing.

The photographs are available for viewing and free download in high resolution, and may be freely used, provided a reference to the Roscongress Foundation is included on website photo.roscongress.org.

How to reserve specially designated spaces to hold press events?

Forum participants may reserve specially designated spaces at the Forum venue to hold press events of any kind. Protocol and organizational support services for agreement signing ceremonies and press conferences are also available.

Please note that these services are paid for separately, and are subject to availability at the time of request.

For questions concerning press centre services, please contact: press.centre@roscongress.org.

More information will be available on the official website closer to the Forum.

VISA SUPPORT

An invitation for foreign visitors is a special document provided by the Forum organizers for those who require a visa to enter the Russian Federation.

! Please note, that this is a separate document from a Forum invitation.

The document could be generated in the Roscongress personal account closer to the Forum dates (follow the tabs ‘My events – Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – Event dashboard – Visa support’).

Detailed information will be available on the website in the near future. Please follow updates on the Forum website and email communications.

CURRENCY AND BANK CARD TRANSACTIONS

What is the best way to pay for goods and services?

We do recommend having cash with you for the entire duration of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum due to restricted use of foreign bank cards in Russia.

The use of MIR and UnionPay cards in Russia is not restricted in any currency. We do recommend participants to get a new card/bring an existing card of these systems, if possible.

Please note that UnionPay has started its operations in Russia relatively recently. Therefore, cards of this payment system may occasionally malfunction.  

What are the currency exchange restrictions?

Please note the following currency exchange restrictions:

  • only USD and EUR cash can be freely exchanged for RUB cash. 
  • you must present your ID (passport) for transactions over RUB 40,000. 
  • there is NO exchanging non-cash currency for RUB cash using MasterCard or Visa bank cards issued outside of Russia. It is also not possible to withdraw RUB cash from these cards. 

Follow currency exchange updates on the official website of the Bank of Russia at cbr.ru.

ABOUT ST. PETERSBURG

What is the weather like in St. Petersburg in late July?

The average daytime temperature is + 20 ... + 30 °C. 

Due to the city’s geographic position and its proximity to the Baltic Sea, the weather can change unexpectedly. The combination of high humidity and wind means that it always feels colder. We advise guests to bring warm clothing and an umbrella.

What time zone is St. Petersburg in?

Local time in St. Petersburg is the same as in Moscow (GMT+3).

“We highly value the results of our joint work at the summit. I am sure the achieved results are creating a good foundation for further deepening the Russia-Africa partnership in the interests of our nations’ prosperity and wellbeing.”

President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin

The Russia–Africa Summit, which is taking place in Sochi on 23–24 October 2019, encapsulates the historically friendly relations between the African continent and the Russian Federation. This Summit carries great significance as it is the first of its kind to emerge during a period of major global and international transformations. In response to the aspirations of the people it is representing, the Summit intends to build a comprehensive framework for expanding Russian–African relations into broader horizons of joint cooperation across different fields.

The African nations and Russia share a common understanding of international relations, based on the principles of respect for the rule of international law, equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Both sides affirm their commitment to support multilateral actions to oppose new international threats, be they terrorism and extremism in all their forms, or declining growth rates. The two sides share a firm conviction regarding the importance of developing trade flows and supporting mutual investment in such a way as to ensure security, peace and development for the African and Russian people.

African countries have huge potential and opportunities that will allow them, once efforts to streamline their economies have been achieved, to emerge as real global players. In recent years, the nations of this continent have achieved major successes spanning the political, economic, social and administrative spheres. Africa has flourished in terms of growth over the past decade, reaching a continent-wide growth rate of 3.55% in 2018.

The African Union Summit, which was held in Niger in July 2019, continued the efforts of the African countries and saw the African Continental Free Trade Agreement come into force, along with its operational instruments. The agreement is one of the key objectives of Agenda 2063, an African development strategy that has been created to address the African people’s desire for prosperity and decent living standards.

These successes are opening up wide-ranging prospects for cooperation between African countries and the Russian Federation, and confirm the determination of African governments and their people to cooperate with multiple partners in order to establish mutually beneficial relations.

With this in mind, we express our hopes that the Russia–Africa Summit will help in the establishment of constructive strategic relations, based on partnership between two sides across various fields, and in the service of fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the African people and their friends in Russia.

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Abdelfattah ALSISI