I like this statement describing the UN's World Tourism Organization:
UNWTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries.
Will we that fragment of institutional "Inclusive Tourism DNA" get transferred to Green Globe in this mating? We would all like to see more progress in the vision:
Universal Design is a framework for the design of places, things, information, communication and policy to be usable by the widest range of people operating in the widest range of situations without special or separate design. Most simply, Universal Design is human-centered design of everything with everyone in mind.Universal Design is also called Inclusive Design, Design-for-All and Lifespan Design. It is not a design style but an orientation to any design process that starts with a responsibility to the experience of the user. It has a parallel in the green design movement that also offers a framework for design problem solving based on the core value of environmental responsibility. Universal Design and green design are comfortably two sides of the same coin but at different evolutionary stages. Green design focuses on environmental sustainability, Universal Design on social sustainability.
Source:
http://www.adaptenv.org/index.php?option=Content&Itemid=3
Green Globe International, Inc. (OTCBB: GGLB), which owns the Green Globe brand, the premier international green brand focused on sustainability and carbon neutrality programs, today announced that Green Globe International has been accepted for affiliate membership of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).The UNWTO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, the UNWTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries.
Green Globe International received an official notification that the UNWTO Executive Council had approved its membership application at its 83rd session held on June 13-14, 2008 in Juju, Republic of Korea. The Executive Council's approval will be subject to formal ratification by the next General Assembly, which will take place at Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2009.
In accordance with established practice, the Executive Council has decided that pending ratification by the General Assembly, Green Globe International has been admitted provisionally to membership of the UNWTO will all of the rights and obligations and may participate fully in any of its activities.
Affiliate membership in the UNWTO offers a chance to participate in the forefront of international tourism business and policy. Members benefit from increased exposure and visibility and gain access to all UNWTO meetings and seminars. As a UNWTO affiliate member, companies and organizations will be able to: 1) access to UNWTO's extensive information networks; 2) explore partnerships for specific projects and new business opportunities; 3) contribute to policy inputs through participation in specific UNWTO working committees with member states; 4) contribute to UNWTO program development for projects, events and other activities; 4) share your institution or company knowledge/expertise; 5) network with leading business decision makers and influential policy shapers.
"A strong association with the UNWTO and adherence to its principles related to sustainable tourism was identified as a high priority for Green Globe International management once we completed our acquisition of the Green Globe brand, and we are extremely pleased to have received notification of our acceptance for affiliate membership in the organization," commented Steven R. Peacock, chief executive officer and managing director of Green Globe International.
The UNWTO has expressed its support for the creation of a Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) designed to increase the credibility of sustainable tourism certification programs. The STSC will become the accreditation body that will endorse these programs and will create the first set of comprehensive global requirements that such programs will have to meet.
"The long and distinguished history of the Green Globe program in the global travel and tourism industry, as well as the strong academic and scientific principles that underpin the Green Globe standards, obviously position Green Globe very well relative to any accreditation process. Green Globe International will continue to support the policies set forth by the UNWTO and will ensure that all Green Globe programs, including its comprehensive Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality Plans, meet the requirements set forth by the STSC," Mr. Peacock added.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) established Green Globe in 1992 as a response to the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, where 182 Heads of State endorsed the Agenda 21 principles of Sustainable Development. Green Globe is the only international sustainability program based on Agenda 21 principles.
Green Globe International (www.greenglobeint.com) encourages all shareholders and others interested in following the progress of the company to subscribe to receive email alerts whenever new information is made public. To subscribe, please visit http://www.greenglobeint.com/stayconnected/email/.
About the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT)
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT) is a specialized agency of the United Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.
UNWTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries.
The Organization encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism*, with a view to ensuring that member countries, tourist destinations and businesses maximize the positive economic, social and cultural effects of tourism and fully reap its benefits, while minimizing its negative social and environmental impacts.
Its membership includes 157 countries and territories and more than 300 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
Direct actions that strengthen and support the efforts of National Tourism Administrations are carried out by UNWTO's regional representatives (Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia) based at the Headquarters in Madrid.
UNWTO is committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, geared toward reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.
*
Article 2 of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET)
Tourism as a vehicle for individual and collective fulfilment
1. Tourism, the activity most frequently associated with rest and relaxation, sport and access to culture and nature, should be planned and practised as a privileged means of individual and collective fulfilment; when practised with a sufficiently open mind, it is an irreplaceable factor of self-education, mutual tolerance and for learning about the legitimate differences between peoples and cultures and their diversity;
2. Tourism activities should respect the equality of men and women; they should promote human rights and, more particularly, the individual rights of the most vulnerable groups, notably children, the elderly, the handicapped [sic], ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples;
3. The exploitation of human beings in any form, particularly sexual, especially when applied to children, conflicts with the fundamental aims of tourism and is the negation of tourism; as such, in accordance with international law, it should be energetically combatted with the cooperation of all the States concerned and penalized without concession by the national legislation of both the countries visited and the countries of the perpetrators of these acts, even when they are carried out abroad;
4. Travel for purposes of religion, health, education and cultural or linguistic exchanges are particularly beneficial forms of tourism, which deserve encouragement;
5. The introduction into curricula of education about the value of tourist exchanges, their economic, social and cultural benefits, and also their risks, should be encouraged.
Posted by rollingrains at August 23, 2008 08:22 PM