The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) welcomes the Autonomous City of Ceuta as an Affiliate Member to promote shared values and a common vision on sustainable tourism.
The Autonomous City of Ceuta joins the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote sustainable tourism and boost the competitiveness of the tourist destination. The incorporation of the company Servicios Turísticos de Ceuta to the Organization will be ratified during the 116th Session of the Executive Council of the UNWTO, to be held next on 7 and 8 June in Saudi Arabia.
On the occasion of its affiliation, the President of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, visited the UNWTO headquarters today to learn first-hand about the work of the Organization with its Affiliate Members. During his visit, they laid the foundations of a joint roadmap to, among other issues, enhance the aspects that can help the tourist destinations to advance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Affiliate Members Department Director, Ion Vilcu, explained that the unprecedented impact of the pandemic on the industry has highlighted the need for tourism to transform itself into a more sustainable sector, while responding to the new tourists´ demands.
The UNWTO welcomes the decision of the authorities of the Autonomous City of Ceuta to join this international entity, which will allow the destination to develop joint projects related to the sector.
La Organización continúa trabajando en colaboración con sus Miembros Afiliados para ofrecer herramientas que les permitan adaptarse a los nuevos desafíos planteados al sector y adoptar así un nuevo modelo de desarrollo turístico más respetuoso con el medio ambiente y las personas.
The Organization continues to work in collaboration with its Affiliate Members to provide tools that will enable them to adapt to the new challenges facing the sector and thus adopt a new model of tourism development that is more respectful of the environment and people.
The United Nations General Assembly has met for a first ever dedicated session on tourism and its key role in inclusive recovery and growth.
The High-Level Thematic Debate was convened by the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In the General Assembly Hall, government representatives joined public and private stakeholders in recognizing tourism’s unique ability to drive positive change.
Now is the time to build resilient and peaceful societies and tourism can help make this happen!
As the first ever UNWTO Secretary-General to address the UN General Assembly, Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that “now is the time to build resilient and peaceful societies and tourism can help make this happen! Tourism is a leading provider of opportunities because it is based on people, builds bridges and helps create a better tomorrow for people everywhere.”
Joining Secretary-General Pololikashvili in opening the session were the President of the General Assembly and UN Deputy Secretary-General and UNSDG Chair Amina J. Mohammed, who noted “Every part of the United Nations system, including the World Tourism Organization as its specialized agency for the sector, can leverage tourism to help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, from inclusive growth to gender empowerment and biodiversity protection.”
UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid also stressed the importance of tourism, particularly for small islands and developing states. He said: “We face a critical opportunity to not only reboot tourism, upon which so many are dependent for their jobs and livelihoods, but to transform it to make it more resilient, more sustainable and more responsible.”
A Fireside Chat, chaired by CNN International anchor Richard Quest, reflected the challenges faced through tourism’s recovery, addressing how best to reconcile potential trade-offs between the need for economic growth and creating jobs with advancing efforts for overall sustainability.
The high-level debate also featured a special roundtable discussion focused on tourism for people, with an emphasis on inclusivity. This was followed by a roundtable discussion on accelerating the climate-friendly transformation of tourism. The concluding third roundtable discussion focused on re-invigorating investments in tourism.
On the eve of the debate, UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili had met with UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid for discussions on tourism’s role in the wider work of the United Nations. President Shahid commended UNWTO’s work in guiding tourism first through the biggest crisis in its history and now through the sector’s restart and recovery. The high-level meeting also laid the foundations for the potential inclusion of tourism as a topic of annual debates or thematic sessions within the UN General Assembly.
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The Russian Federation has been suspended from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), losing with immediate effect its rights and privileges as part of the United Nations specialized agency.
Meeting for a first extraordinary UNWTO General Assembly, Members debated the suspension of Russia from the Organization, as decided by the UNWTO Executive Council at its emergency meeting last month. The Russian delegation declined to step up and defend its position, and instead announced its withdrawal from UNWTO before the debate took place.
The Assembly voted in favor of suspension, far exceeding the two-third majority required. The decision is effective immediately, while voluntary withdrawal is only effective one year after a Member submits an official communication through the appropriate channels.
Tourism is a pillar of peace and international friendship, and Members of UNWTO must uphold these values or face consequences, with no exceptions.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “UNWTO’s Members have sent a clear message: Tourism is a pillar of peace and international friendship, and Members of UNWTO must uphold these values or face consequences, with no exceptions. This emergency General Assembly shows that Russia’s actions are indefensible and contrary to the very principles of UNWTO and of international governance.”
In total, 99 countries were represented in Madrid. According to Article 3 of the Statutes, all Members commit to developing tourism with a “view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity, and universal prospect for, and observance of, human rights”.
Effective immediately, the Russian Federation will not be able to exercise the rights or enjoy the privileges of UNWTO membership. This means it will not be able to receive services from the Organization, including Technical Assistance, nor will the Russian Federation be able to participate in any UNWTO meetings or events, be permitted to put forward any candidates to serve on UNWTO’s statutory bodies, or to vote in elections to UNWTO organs or to propose a candidate to serve as Secretary-General.
The first emergency session of the General Assembly was convened at the request of six Members and at the instruction of the UNWTO Executive Council. The UNWTO Secretariat then provided a comprehensive report to the General Assembly for Member States to take an informed decision in relation to Russian Federation’s suspension from membership, following the Organization´s Statutes.
The UNWTO Statutes state that any Member State may be suspended if two-thirds of their fellow Members believe them to be persisting in a policy that is contrary to the fundamental aim of the Organization. A majority of two-thirds of Full Members present and voting at the General Assembly is required for a motion for suspension of membership to pass. Suspension is temporary and may be lifted, though only by the General Assembly and following the same procedure.
UNWTO has welcomed NETCOM, a leader in communications and digital advertising, into its growing network of Affiliate Members.
Affiliate Members are drawn from every part of the diverse tourism sector, with businesses, civil society, destinations and academia all represented. Through this network, UNWTO guides the development and growth of tourism in every global region. With more than 25 years in the market and presence in the main cities of the world, Netcom will work to promote the restart and sustainable recovery of tourism
At the same time, NETCOM is developing, together with specialists from the tourism sector, a guide of good advertising practices for the communication of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the framework of responsible tourism as a promoter of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability.
Throughout its history, NETCOM has been a strategic communication media partner in tourist destinations such as Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Taiwan, among others.
For this, it has used its experience in the creative combination of outdoor advertising tools (Wall Murals, Static Billboards, taxis ads full bus wraps, Single poles, special activations, small and medium Ad sizes, and much more) and digital public roads (screens and digital billboards). NETCOM developed also successful digital campaigns and traditional graphics in newspapers and magazines.
The number of signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism has passed the 500-mark, just four months after the landmark initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26, November 2021). Today, and coinciding with International Mother Earth Day, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has announced that Expedia Group, Booking Holdings and Condé Nast have become the latest signatories, joining stakeholders of all sizes and from every part of the diverse sector.
The signatures of three of the sector’s biggest names underscores tourism’s determination to accelerating climate action at every level and reflects the shared commitment of both big businesses and small stakeholders to work towards a common goal. All signatories of the Glasgow Declaration commit to the decarbonization of tourism operations and to restore and protect ecosystems, helping visitors and host communities experience better balance with nature. “Rebalancing our relationship with nature is critical to regenerating both its ecological health and our personal, social and economic well-being”, the Declaration states.
The 538 signatories of the Glasgow Declaration include all types of stakeholders, among them DRV German Travel Association, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, PATA and Hostelling International; tour operators as EXO Travel, and Europa Mundo Vacaciones; accommodation providers such as The Cayuga Collection; DMOs such as Turismo de Portugal, Turisme de Barcelona, West Sweden Tourist Board, London & Partners, Destination Québec Cité and many more. All adhere to the guiding principle of restoring nature as a “key to our sector’s recovery from the pandemic, as well as its future prosperity and resilience”.
Tourism must prosper in harmony with nature, and the number and variety of businesses, destinations and other organizations signing up to the ambitious Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action shows our sector is committed to doing better.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “It is time to act. Tourism must prosper in harmony with nature, and the number and variety of businesses, destinations and other organizations signing up to the ambitious Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action shows our sector is committed to doing better. I am delighted to welcome Expedia Group, Booking Holdings and Condé Nast as the newest signatories.”
Collaboration across stakeholders is key to ensure that the necessary skills, tools and knowledge are available among service providers, host communities and tourists so that they can deliver change. Among the priorities of the Glasgow Declaration for 2022 is to deliver guidance on measurement of emissions and climate action planning with support from working groups.
“The need to address the damaging effects of climate change has become more urgent than ever before, which is why our Climate Action Plan includes ambitious targets, based on the latest scientific guidance, to achieve near-zero emissions for our own operations by 2030, and net-zero by 2040,” said Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings. “Committing to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Net Zero Standard, and now signing the Glasgow Declaration, is critical to ensure that climate action is supporting science and the Paris Agreement to change the trajectory of the current crisis.”
“We are proud to become a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism as part of a concerted effort with our partners and peers to progress a more sustainable travel industry,” said Peter Kern, CEO and Vice Chairman, Expedia Group. “As a travel company, we have the privilege of bringing people all around the world together every day. And as more people travel, we also have a responsibility to shift towards more sustainable operations to lessen our overall footprint and equip our travelers with sustainable options that match their values. We’re enhancing the visibility travelers have into their impact and offering more responsible choices. The industry must work together to help safeguard the future of travel for generations to come.”
The Glasgow Declaration was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26. It is a voluntary commitment which requests organizations to support halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050 at the latest; to deliver climate action plans (or update existing plans) within 12 months from becoming signatories and implement them; to align their plans with five pathways, namely: measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate and finance; to report publicly on progress made implementing those commitments; and to work on a collaborative spirit.
The Glasgow Declaration is led by UNWTO in collaboration with the Travel Foundation and within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme. A full list of Signatories can be found here.
The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme aims to accelerate sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in tourism policies and practices to address the challenges of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. It promotes knowledge sharing and networking opportunities to define collective priorities and identify solutions. Under its umbrella, initiatives such as the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and the Global Roadmap on Food Waste Reduction in Tourism are implemented.
The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme is led by UNWTO, with the governments of France and Spain as co-leads and in collaboration with UNEP.
UNWTO has launched the second edition of its global flagship competition under the name of “Awake Tourism Challenge”. The competition will identify innovators who are advancing solutions to 6 different challenges, as well contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For the 2022 challenge, UNWTO will focus on specific areas that can help the recovery of the tourism sector in a disruptive way, and which deserve extra attention right now, namely:
The return of tourism is a chance to awaken its potential to transform lives
Organized in collaboration with Wakalua, the first global innovation hub for tourism, powered by Ávoris, the competition also counts on the support of a number of major partners, including; SPARK, the Innovation Hub of Les Roches from the Sommet Education group, and Ankh Impact Ventures (AIV), an impact-driven venture capital investment platform with a gender and racial equity lens. It also counts on strong public and private sector backing, with Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism, Singapore Tourism Board, KPMG, MasterCard, Amadeus, IE University, Telefonica, Wayra, ClarkeModet, The FarCo, BBVA, MentorDay, Finnova, Google for Startups, The Valley Digital Business School, Nest, the Future Food Institute and the Inter-American Development Bank all on board.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashviki said: “The return of tourism is a chance to awaken its potential to transform lives. UNWTO is calling on startups everywhere to put forward their ideas for meeting the biggest challenges our sector is facing and for making tourism a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Startups are invited to participate provided that they:
The 12 most disruptive startups (2 for each of the Challenges) will be given support to scale-up. UNWTO will present the best ideas to its Member States, Affiliate Members and investors, providing them with a unique networking opportunity. Additional benefits include the chance to pitch at a special UNWTO Demo Day and access to technological support and to the UNWTO Innovation network, as well as a curated mentorship programme with both one-on-one and group training sessions on key topics such as Intellectual Property, sustainability in business and leadership, possible seed funding for female Startup founders from Ankh Impact Ventures, and incubation for 3 months at the SPARK Innovation Lab.
Applications are now open and will close 30 June 2022. The winning startups will be announced in October. To find out more and to apply, visit the webpage of the UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge.
UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition 2020 Edition:
The 2020 edition was supported by more than 25 partners from across the global innovation ecosystem and attracted over 10,000 participants from 150 countries. The winners had the opportunity to meet Ministers, corporations, investors at the Final Event in Madrid and they have been connected to funding opportunities and pilot projects.
Since 2018, top startups have raised over US$214 million in funding through the UNWTO Innovation Network.
Dear Affiliate Members,
I would like to start by informing you that on the 27th and 28th of April in Madrid, UNWTO will hold an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly to vote on the suspension of the Membership of the Russian Federation. This decision was taken by the Executive Council at its emergency session which took place on the 8th of March.
Focusing now on the Newsletter, this issue includes some of the most relevant activities carried out by the Affiliate Members Department in the last month, along with some future initiatives that will soon be held.
On the 21st of March we organized the first session of the UNWTO Briefing for Affiliate Members, this time focused on the upcoming Global Youth Tourism Summit. This is a new format aimed at offering first-hand insights on upcoming major UNWTO events and initiatives.
Moreover, I am very happy about the active role of the Affiliate Membership in the framework of the 48th UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East, held in Cairo on the 28th and 29th of March. I had the opportunity to present a report of the main activities implemented by the department in the past year, with a specific focus on the region, and I was accompanied by a representative of the Board of Affiliate Members, the Red Sea Development Company, who transmitted to the governments the main needs and priorities of the Affiliate Members.
Also, I would like to highlight that on the 5th of April we held a briefing session dedicated to the Members of the Board in which the Chair, Ms. Mar de Miguel, shared details about the debates which took place at the emergency session of the Executive Council on the issue of the possible suspension of the Russian Federation.
About the upcoming initiatives, it is worth to mention that on the 21st of April we will hold a new session of the Webinar on how to use the AMConnected platform, for the participants to get to know more about its basic functionalities and so get the best out of it.
Lastly, I am glad to say that we are already working with our Affiliate Members on the implementation of some of the initiatives and activities that were included in our Programme of Work 2022 and we are preparing the Affiliate Members’ participation in the other upcoming UNWTO Regional Commissions.
As always, I am at your disposal and look forward to hearing any comments you might have.
Yours sincerely,
Ion Vilcu
