Speech of Mr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General
"Culture and sustainable development in the post-2015 development agenda"
Special Thematic Debate of the UN General Assembly
5 May 2014
New York, USA
Mr. Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Acting President of the United Nations
Mr. Jan Eliasson, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
The Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Former Governor General of
Canada and UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti
Mr. Hao Ping, President of the UNESCO General Conference and Vice
Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China
Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the World Tourism Organization, I would like to express my
deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing you today, as we gather to
discuss the important role of culture in the post-2015 development agenda.
I would like to particularly thank UNESCO's Director General, Irina Bokova,
for inviting UNWTO to join on this unique occasion, an invitation that
translates the spirit of cooperation between our two organizations and our
common aim of working as one UN.
It gives me indeed great pleasure to see the increasing collaboration
between UNWTO and UNESCO, and I would like to take this opportunity to
reaffirm our full commitment in making tourism and culture a central pillar of
the new post 2015 development agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the last decades, tourism has seen extraordinary and rapid growth,
becoming one of the leading socio-economic sectors of our times.
In 2012, we celebrated a historic and exciting milestone - of one billion
tourists traveling the world in a single year. Tourism accounts today for 9%
of the global GOP, 30% of the total exports of services and one in 11 jobs
around the world .
The question is - how do we harness this sheer force of one billion strong
for its immense value? In light of today's debate, how can we draw from
this deep wellspring to benefit our cultural heritage and advance the post-
2015 sustainability agenda?
In the thousands of years chronicling mankind's progress, civilizations have
flourished and fallen , and in their wake, left legacies bearing their indelible
mark in the history of the world. These legacies showcase the pinnacle of
mankind's abilities, be they in outstanding monuments or in the uniqueness
of paintings and music. Heritage tells mankind's story; it tells our story. 2
Tourism can enliven this heritage. Cultural tourism - the movement of
travelers motivated by the mosaic of art forms , heritage sites, festivals ,
traditions , and pilgrimages- is growing at an unprecedented rate.
The more people travel and immerse in other societies, navigate other
languages, behold incredible monuments and natural wonders, or
experience firsthand the living traditions passed down by generations, the
more they become part of a global dialogue that makes us citizens of the
same world; citizens that understand and respect each other.
The nexus between tourism and culture thus offers an immense opportunity
to contribute to inclusive economic growth, social development and
stability and heritage preservation.
As we set the scene for the debate that follows, kindly allow me to highlight
these three ways in which tourism and culture can strengthen the three
pillars of sustainability:
First,
1. Tourism and culture can work together for economic growth
Culture is an invaluable tourism resource, and conversely, tourism provides
important economic support for cultural promotion and preservation .
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The responsible use of cultural assets for tourism creates new employment
opportunities and generates income for local communities. By the same
token, cultural tourism can provide a vital tool for poverty alleviation, as
many poor and remote communities are often situated near famous
heritage sites.
If we make take a moment to consider the progress of Cambodia for
example, whose outstanding cultural heritage, crowned by Angkor Wat in
Siem Reap, spearheaded the country's tourism. As Cambodia's story
shows, cultural tourism can drive the economy by allowing destinations to
create resources to become more competitive, raise its international profile,
and create linkages to other local activities such as arts and handicrafts.
2. Tourism and culture can work together for social development and
stability
We live in The Age of Travel. Never before in our history have we been
more exposed to such a melting pot of ethnicities, religions and lifestyles.
As a sector based on human interaction, tourism breaks down walls and
fortifies bridges between visitors and hosts, nurturing respect and mutual
understanding that is so much needed in this often divided world. With one
billion tourists traveling outside of their countries, the connections sparked
between people of all walks of life are immeasurable.
In addition, the inter-cultural contact and appreciation of heritage that
tourism engenders helps foster a sense of community pride and reaffirms 4
the cultural identities of local populations as they look at themselves, their
traditions and their home in a different light.
We have perhaps heard the age-old line from Marcel Proust, that the real
voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new places but in seeing with
new eyes. Yet more significantly, as the travel writer Pico lyer once wrote
"one of the subtler beauties of travel is that it enables you to bring new
eyes to the people you encounter."
In this regard , tourism is one of the most unique global sectors, being a
kind of moving embassy of peace. As highlighted in the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2001,
"tourism represents a vital force for peace and a factor of friendship and
understanding among the peoples of the world ."
Finally,
3. Tourism and culture can work for heritage protection and preservation
Being enlisted as a World Heritage Site raises the international profile and
public awareness of cultural treasures, warranting their protection and
conservation and boosting tourism as they become must-sees on traveler's
itineraries. This opens doors to many opportunities but also brings many
challenges, primarily the management of tourism growth.
The honor of being acclaimed as a World Heritage calls forth a greater
responsibility of finding the equilibrium between rising tourism demand
while protecting the inherent values for which these sites were inscribed on
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the World Heritage List. It emphasizes the need for tourism that is carefully
and efficiently managed, proper education among tourists and host
communities, the close coordination and cooperation between conservation
and tourism and the use of innovative approaches. In this regard,
technology can definitely play a key role.
Last week the facsimile of the Tomb of Tutankhamun opened in Luxor,
Egypt. The facsimile will give visitors an opportunity to learn the history of
the tomb and encourage conservation of the original site. This innovative
project is the perfect combination between tourism, cultural conservation
and social and inclusive development as it will also transfer know-how to
Egypt and build on the country's capacity to lead in cultural preservation
and sustainable tourism.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
By 2030, 1.8 billion tourists will be traveling the world.
This global phenomenon represents an extraordinary opportunity to pursue
our shared goals of inclusive economic development, social growth and
environmental sustainability into a reality.
Tourism intensifies our role as global citizens, stewards of world heritage
and ambassadors of peace -- calling us to preserve our past, so we can
protect our future.
UNWTO firmly believes in tourism development that is responsible, socially
inclusive and integral to the enrichment and safeguarding of the cultural 6
identity of destinations. It is therefore of utmost importance that we
continue to work intensively with Members States and sister UN agencies
on this shared objective.
Along this line, in February 2015, we will co-organize with UNESCO an
International Conference on Tourism and Culture in Siem Reap in which I
would like to invite you all to get fully engaged.
I look forward to strengthening our partnerships and working closer
together as architects of this sustainable future we envision for all.
Thank you very much.
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