UN enters sustainable tourism partnership

BANGKOK, 2 August 2010 ― The already bloated deck of global, regional and local organisations focusing on “sustainable tourism” got even fatter last month with the UN Environment Programme announcing the launch of a “Global Partnership” that “aims to transform the way tourism is done worldwide.”

Seeking to create “an unparalleled combination of expertise, networks, and a positive public image,” the partnership is seeking a budget of US$430,000 to fund its first-year start-up costs. It pledges to spend most of it on projects, research and membership services with only 15% to be allocated for administrative costs in the first year, an amount which will be pared back to 5% by 2012.

With the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) forecasting 1.5 billion tourists per year by 2020, the environmental impact of those movements is expected to be high, requiring “all tourism stakeholders to continue to work together to confront this reality and ensure the sustainability of the sector,” according to the project’s business plan.

However, it is difficult to see how exactly this new venture is any different from what many national tourism organisations, universities, research think-tanks, consultancies and tourism award schemes have been doing for the last 20 years.

The business plan says, “In recent years, tourism stakeholders have sought to address the social, cultural and environmental problems associated with tourism through hundreds of isolated efforts around the world. Many of these initiatives have shown that if properly managed, tourism can help conserve nature and culture, produce wealth for local communities, countries, employees, and owners and greatly reduce the negative impacts associated with operations.

“However, because most of these solutions have been local and isolated, businesses, communities, and countries, as well as policy makers, destination managers, and managers, have been unable to find the solutions to their problems that may have been developed elsewhere in the world.”

“There are many separate projects and initiatives, leading to information overload and misunderstandings, limited results, and the loss of time and money duplicating what has already been done. There is confusion about concepts, solutions, and in general, frustration and a loss of trust in tourism development work.”

It says that “the answer is to develop a Global Partnership to share knowledge, collect successful initiatives, adapt them, scale them up, and replicate them to meet global needs. This Partnership will bring together tourism sectors in all regions, including intergovernmental organizations, governments at all levels, destination managers, environmental and social organisations, and business organisations.

“This global effort of all partners will be able to identify and disseminate successful initiatives from any corner of the world and make them available elsewhere, apply the policy recommendations and lessons learned in integrating sustainability in tourism, and develop new tools and projects where no existing solution has been found.”

It says the partnership will focus on policy frameworks, climate change, environment & biodiversity, poverty alleviation, cultural and natural heritage, private sector sustainable practices, and finance & investment.

In effect, the partnership works out to merely an umbrella grouping for collation of best practises. None of the policy or business rationale provides any clue on how it will “transform the way tourism is done worldwide.”

Its administrative structure under the UN umbrella and subject to the UN’s hugely bureaucratic rules and regulations raises further doubts about its effectiveness.

Says the business plan, “The Partnership will be a United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) Type II Partnership, hence a multi-stakeholder, voluntary initiative. Its organisational structure will consist of an Annual General Assembly with a Steering Committee, which will be the executive body and will implement decisions of the Annual General Assembly.

“An Advisory Committee will provide guidance and advice to the Steering Committee. The Secretariat, to be based in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-DTIE), will support all activities and provide various services to members.”

Financial resources will come from two main sources: direct financial support from national, regional, and multilateral members; and in-kind support from participating members.

It says, “The financial structure of the Partnership will be managed in conformity with UN rules and regulations. The overall budget and the choice of projects to be financed will be approved by the Annual General Assembly. Financial controls will be those of the United Nations.”

One of its key objectives is to prevent “unnecessary duplication of work” and “promote and facilitate links to replicate successful activities and innovative concepts”. It lists 40 UN agencies, countries, NGOs and travel industry groups which have “expressed interest” in joining.

Although it clearly specifies the importance of having “a results-oriented structure, in which its long-term funding and success will directly depend on its ability to deliver high-quality services,” the proof of that pudding will be in the eating. Its biggest challenge will be explain to potential members why it is not just another talk-shop and/or another conduit for marketing the work of its potential members.