African Tourism Ministers adopt African Charter on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism
PR No.: PR 16091
African Ministers of Tourism and heads of delegation along with UNWTO officials assembled in Marrakech in the framework of the 22nd Session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP22) to adopt the first African Charter on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism and sign the Declaration on ‘Tourism and Climate Issues in Africa’. Both documents pave the way for the implementation of sustainability and responsibility principles in the tourism sector in Africa. The meeting was held in Marrakech on 10 November 2016.
The African continent has now a common reference framework to promote sustainability and responsibility in the tourism sector. The African Charter on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism, signed during the Ministerial Forum on Tourism and Climate in Africa, on the sidelines of the COP22, aims at becoming an instrumental tool for the continent to engage in sustainable tourism best practices by reconciling social and economic growth, the preservation of the environment and the respect for the cultural diversity of each country.
During the opening, H.E.M. Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Tourism of Morocco, said “the charter which is signed today is a commitment for the future in order to promote sustainable tourism for the benefit of Africa while showing respect to biodiversity and the heritage of each African country”.
UNWTO was represented by its Márcio Favilla, Executive Director for Operational Programmes and Institutional Relations, who highlighted that the signature of this significant document “is the result of the vision that African countries have for the future of their tourism sector: one that respects the environment, local communities, promotes gender equality, creates jobs for the youth and is a key driver for sustainable and economic growth.” In addition he recalled that “the Charter constitutes also an open working platform for countries which provides global orientations to preserve, respect and benefit African destinations and African people".
The flowing countries undersign the document: the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo-Verde, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Chad.
Additional information:
Website of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme
African Sustainable and Responsible Tourism Charter
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
