UNWTO’s participation in the UNESCO Capacity-building workshop on community-based ecotourism and conservation in Cameroon
At the kind invitation of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Central Africa, UNWTO participated in a three-day workshop aimed at building the capacities of local organizations, enterprises, and communities involved in ecotourism and conservation work around the two World Heritage sites in Cameroon.
The workshop took place in Djoum, located in the South Region of Cameroon, from 8 to 10 November 2023, and gathered NGOs, associations, and community representatives from the Cameroon´s two World Heritage Sites, namely the Dja Faunal Reserve and the Lobéké National Park. Furthermore, the event was marked by the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure (MINTOUL), the Ministry of Arts and Culture (MINAC), the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), as well as WWF. In light of the Department for Africa’s mission to support and empower stakeholders in their efforts to nurture the tourism industry as a catalyst for sustainable economic and social development and community resilience, UNWTO provided technical support and delivered capacity-building sessions on community-based ecotourism concepts, best practices, and approaches to entrepreneurship in tourism, and was an integral part of the panel to select innovative projects for UNESCO funding.