22nd UNWTO General Assembly in China: a week of important achievements
The approval of the Chengdu Declaration on Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals, the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics and the appointment by consensus of Zurab Pololikashvili as Secretary-General for 2018-2021 were only some of the achievements of the 22ndsession of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held in Chengdu, China last week.
An intense week of meetings, decisions and agreements marked the 22nd session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China on 13-16 September. The biennial event convened more than 1300 participants from Member States and Affiliate Members of UNWTO representing over 130 countries.
"Chengdu will always remain in UNWTO history as host of the Assembly that approved the Organization's first international convention – the Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics," said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.
The Convention of Tourism Ethics converts the Global Code of Ethics into a binding document to advance the ethical components of tourism. The document covers the responsibilities of all stakeholders in the development of sustainable tourism, providing a framework that recommends an ethical and sustainable modus operandi including the right to tourism, freedom of movement for tourists and the rights of employees and professionals.
"In an interconnected world where the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, food products or automobiles, it is important to set out a legal framework to ensure that growth is dealt with responsibly and that it can be sustained over time. Tourism is a power that must be harnessed for the benefit of all," said Chairman of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE) Pascal Lamy.
"This is an historic moment for UNWTO", said Rifai. "The approval of the Convention is a strong legacy of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development that we celebrate this year. It is also a strong sign that countries are committed to make tourism a force for a better future for all. It reinforces UNWTO's institutional outreach in the UN system," he added.
Another important milestone was the approval of the Chengdu Declaration on Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals. The document underlines the potential of the tourism sector in economic, social and environmental terms, and includes 21 articles that, among others, recommend to governments "to develop an integrated and holistic approach to tourism policy in order to leverage the sector's positive impact on planet and prosperity (Article 1)." In addition, it proposes "to undertake national assessments on tourism's contribution and commitment to the SDGs and ensure the inclusion of tourism in interministerial SDG commissions and/or working groups, as well as to enhance the contribution of tourism in SDGs national strategies through the set-up of institutional frameworks and mechanisms that allow participation of all stakeholders".
A united tourism community
Unity and cohesion were expressed throughout the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly. One of the largest displays of these sentiments was in a special meeting organized to discuss how to support those destinations affected by Hurricane Irma and the earthquake in the southern coast of Mexico.
The meeting identified three lines of action: (i) supporting the recovery of the affected destinations through the private sector and aid agencies, with special attention given to SMEs due to their lack of means to rebuild and recover; (ii) sharing experiences on resilience and crisis management and (iii) developing strong and coordinated communication.
The group of countries attending the special meeting also agreed to propose that the General Assembly adopt a special resolution expressing solidarity and support to the affected destinations and calling for the support of the international community.
The General Assembly also appointed the Secretary-General for the period 2018-2022. Zurab Pololikashvili, current Ambassador of Georgia to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra, was proposed by the UNWTO Executive Council last May and appointed by consensus by all Member States convened at the 22nd General Assembly.
About UN Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Our Priorities
Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.
Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.
Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.
Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.
Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.
Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.
Our Structure
Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.
Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.
Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.
Rut Gómez Sobrino
Principal Media Officer
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UN Tourism