Climate-L.org » Tourism

UNEP, GEF Launch Initiative to Green World Cup

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:46:43 +0000

8 June 2010: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) have announced an initiative to green the World Cup and assist in reducing carbon emissions.
The initiative includes three major greening projects: renewable energy interventions in six World Cup host cities; an awareness-raising drive on green tourism; and a UNEP programme to offset the carbon emissions of eleven World Cup teams.
Renewable energy interventions include twelve billboards, 60 traffic lights and 78 street lights being switched to solar power, across six cities in South Africa. Carbon offsetting is being sponsored by sports brand Puma for the following teams: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Uruguay, Italy and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Chile, England, Republic of Korea and Serbia have also committed to offsetting their emissions. [UNEP Press Release]

UNDP, World Bank Support Hydro Energy in Nepal

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:36:13 +0000

April 2010: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), through its Rural Energy Development Programme (REDP), has supported a joint venture of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre of the Government of Nepal, in collaboration with the World Bank and local communities, to establish a 100 kw Bom Khola micro hydro plant.
The generation of electricity has significantly contributed to the economy and lives of people in Lukla, whose main source of income is tourism. The project is the largest system built and owned by a local community in Nepal. The power plant was commissioned in June 2008 and provides electricity to about 193 households, many of which have converted their dwellings into hotels and lodges. The expanded access to electricity has reduced deforestation as people do not have to cut trees for firewood. There are plans to expand the work to generate electricity in two adjoining Village Development Committees with the support from the UNDP’s REDP. [UNDP Nepal Website] [UNDP Nepal Bulletin]

UNEP and GEF to Help Reduce World Cup’s Carbon Footprint

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:56:27 +0000

25 May 2010: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have announced an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Under the initiative, the GEF has provided US$1 million to help retrofit solar panels on public street lights, traffic lights and billboards around the stadia in the six cities hosting the World Cup. UNEP and GEF will announce further activities next month. [GEF Press Release] [UNEP Press Release]

UNEP Announces Sustainable Tourism Partnership

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:02:55 +0000

12 May 2010: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the French Government have announced the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism, which is aimed at making the tourism industry environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The Partnership is designed to identify and replicate successful and sustainable initiatives.
According to UNEP, the Partnership will support implementation of policy recommendations and lessons learned in integrating sustainability in tourism, and develop new tools and projects where no existing solution has been found. The partnership initially will be led by France, and later be housed at UNEP’s Paris-based Division of Technology, Industry and Economics.
The new entity will focus on policy, projects, tools and networks for all tourism stakeholders at all levels, by addressing and working on: policy frameworks; climate change; environment and biodiversity; poverty alleviation; cultural and natural heritage; private sector sustainable practices; and finance and investment. The initiative was announced during the 18th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 18), which is meeting in New York, US, from 3-14 May 2010. [UNEP Press Release]

WORLD URBAN FORUM 5 DEVELOPS RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE INCLUSIVE CITIES

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:08:00 +0000

The fifth World Urban Forum (WUF-5), which took place from 22-26 March 2010, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme “The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide,” was hosted by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Government of Brazil. The event gathered a record of over 13,700 participants from 150 countries to discuss issues related to the sustainability of cities in the context of rapid urbanization, and a changing climate and environment. During the forum, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka unveiled the World Urban Campaign, which will provide a platform for action for local communities, neighborhoods and leaders to promote democracy and human rights, and enhance global health, food security and energy efficiency.
On 23 March, congress members of several countries participated in a debate on “Parliamentarians of the world about climate changes and human settlements,” coordinated by Peter Goetz, President of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat. On 25 March, participants engaged in a dialogue on “Sustainable Urbanization: Cities in a Changing Climate,” during which they addressed broad concepts and ideas, and then held thematic open debates on: “Sustainable urbanization: cities in a changing climate,” which presented policies and practices that cities, governments and communities around the world are embracing to address the challenges of climate change; “Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change,” which stressed the need to address climate change impacts within a framework that acknowledges the presence of the urban divide and embraces social inclusiveness; and “Promoting inclusive and environmentally sustainable cities,” which addressed how cities can reduce their carbon footprint and effectively engage the informal sector in low carbon economic growth, while fostering inclusive economic development.
UN-HABITAT, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank jointly launched a Global Greenhouse Gas Standard for cities, which will provide a global and harmonized protocol for quantifying the amount of greenhouse gases emissions attributable to cities and local regions. It is expected that this common methodology for calculating GHG emissions on a per capita basis will support policy and access to finance, allowing cities to compare their performances.
During the closing ceremony, Tibaijuka called on governments and leaders at all levels to “provide the requisite resources and to make investments that will provide sustainable cities in a changing climate.” Participants also considered the recommendations from the World Urban Forum, which will be presented to the UN-HABITAT Ministerial Governing Council, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly, scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2011. The Rio Declaration endorsed by participants outlines recommendations related to the need to promote civil society participation and governance to build inclusive policies and cities. The sixth World Urban Forum will be hosted by the Government of Bahrain in 2012.
Links to further information
World Urban Forum-5
UN-HABITAT Executive Director’s speech

UNWTO Secretary General Urges Tourism Sector to Take Part in the Green Economy

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:30:09 +0000

9 March 2010: In an opening speach to the ITB Travel Trade Show, which is convening in Berlin, Germany, from 10-14 March 2010, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai urged the tourism sector to ensure that global policies are supportive of the sustainable growth of tourism.
He also invited the sector to consider a collective initiative that stimulates the preservation and creation of decent jobs, and qualifies human resources to be part of the transformation to the green economy. Rifai further highlighted the need for healthy and identifiable national public policies on travel and tourism, in order to develop meaningful public-private partnerships. [UNWTO Press Release] [UNWTO Secretary-General's Speech]

UNWTO Supports First T.20 Meeting

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:41:47 +0000

24 February 2010: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) supported the first T.20 meeting of ministers and high-level officials, which convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 22-24 February 2010, to discuss the economic recovery and the transformation towards a greener and more sustainable economy.

The UNWTO welcomed the outcomes of the meeting as a major contribution to the process of the Roadmap for Recovery recently approved by the UNWTO General Assembly. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a T.20 joint communiqué in which ministers and high officials recommend, inter alia, engaging and partnering with the international community, international and intergovernmental bodies, private sector organizations, as well as national governments and regional organizations, to: advance tourism’s role in stimulating the global economy; enhancing employment; creating decent jobs; alleviating poverty; supporting development; and transforming progressively into a greener, more sustainable economy.
Meeting participants included representatives from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). [UNWTO Press Release][T.20 Joint Communiqué]

MULTISTAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE CONSIDERS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A one-day meeting convened on 1 February 2010 at UN Headquarters, with the goal of accelerating the pace by which decisions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) are turned into action. Convened by the Division for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), this innovation brought together the former and current leadership of the CSD along with major implementing partners to discuss how the Commission could become more results oriented.
With a focus on the issues of agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and and sustainable development in Africa – recent CSD 17 themes – participants noted that the Commission’s work has been important to policymaking, especially decisions relevant to the global food, financial and energy crises. Meant to deepen and hasten implementation of such CSD decisions, stakeholders crafted a seven point implementation strategy based on the use of new modalities like ICT, partnerships and the fast tracking of successful practices. This strategy, as well as other outcomes from the meeting, are available on the event website.
Link to further information
Multistakeholder Dialogue website

UNFF 9 CHAIR ADDRESSES ECOSOC MEETING

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:20:00 +0000

At a joint meeting of the Bureau of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Chairpersons of its functional commissions, Arvid Ozols, Chair of the ninth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF 9), delivered an address on recent achievements of the UNFF with regard to sustainable forest management and its contributions to gender equality and internationally agreed development goals. On 29 January 2010, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, Ozols stated that the theme of the 2010 Annual Ministerial Review, “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women,” is an integral part of the Forum’s work, noting that one of the purposes of the Non-legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests is to enhance the contribution of forests in achieving the millennium development goals and, inter alia, gender equality. He also highlighted that UNFF 9’s theme, “Forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication,” would include a discussion on the needs of women who are highly dependent on forests.
Link to further information
UNFF 9 Chair’s statement, 29 January 2010

UNWTO e-Bulletin Addresses Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:52:03 +0000

1 February 2010: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released the February 2010 issue of its e-Bulletin Sustainable Development of Tourism.
The issue features several climate change-related articles, including on: coastal tourism in the Mediterranean and adapting to climate change; support and assistance to climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives; UNWTO activities at the World Climate Conference and the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC; and tourism, travel and the green economy. [The e-Bulletin]