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Tourism ministers and top United Nations officials have stressed
the importance of tourism in reaching the social and economic development
targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and contributing to a
more sustainable future (10 October, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea).
“How can the phenomenal growth of tourism be harnessed in support of the MDGs?”,
asked UN Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro at the opening of the
Ministerial Roundtable on Fostering Growth and the Achievement of the MDGs
through Tourism, Culture and Sport, held ahead of the UNWTO General Assembly.
Through improving basic infrastructure and services, tourism can contribute to
eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the first of the eight MDGs, she
continued. Ms. Migiro also talked of how “community-oriented tourism can promote
women’s social and economic mobility”, reflected in MDG-3.
The Roundtable was moderated by Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University,
special advisor to the UN Secretary-General and one of the architects of the
MDGs. Convening around 70 Ministers from all regions of the world, the gathering
was held to define the role and contribution of tourism in addressing global
development challenges, particularly poverty alleviation and economic, social
and environmental sustainability.
Tourism is “an industry that can power economic development in a sustainable
manner,” said Mr. Sachs as Ministers discussed their experiences in fostering
pro-MDG tourism policies in their own countries and how they were using tourism
to meet the 2015 deadline for the internationally agreed goals. The Minister of
Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, Mr Choe Kwang-shik spoke
of how fresh thinking and new partnerships between all were needed to reach the
MDGs and affirmed Korea’s commitment to the process.
In parallel to the MDGs, the Roundtable was also an opportunity to assess
tourism’s sustainability credentials ahead of the June 2012 UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20). “Tourism needs to be on the table of the ‘two
twenties’: the G20 and Rio+20,” said Mr. Sachs. Ministers agreed to work closely
together to advance this objective and take tourism to Rio+20, establishing the
sector firmly within the development agenda.
“As the international community prepares to meet in Rio in June 2012 we have a
unique opportunity to place tourism as part of the debate,” said UNWTO
Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. He highlighted how tourism, identified by the UN
as one of ten key sectors for a green economy, could deliver on the summit
objective of building a safer, more equitable, greener and more prosperous world
for all.
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