Contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

UNEP and the Private Sector

On June 2, 2002 in Bali, Indonesia UNEP held a special side-event "UNEP and the Private Sector". UNEP Deputy Executive Director Shafqat Kakakhel hosted a meeting to mark 30 years of engagement with the private sector. The event was also a part of UNEP's contribution to the Fourth Preparatory Committee (PrepCom IV) for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Addressing 100 senior government officials, tourism and other business sector executives, Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, UNEP Assistant Executive Director and Director of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, outlined the findings of 22 industry sector reports prepared by UNEP, in partnership with 29 industry associations, to assess progress by business towards sustainable development since the Rio Earth Summit, ten years ago.

The report on travel and tourism, produced with the World Travel & Tourism Council, the International Federation of Tour Operators, the International Hotel and Restaurant Association and International Council of Cruise Lines, shows the sector now accounts for US$ 3.3 trillion of global Gross Domestic Product, almost 11 percent of total GDP; 207 million jobs worldwide, over eight percent of all jobs; and US$630 billion in capital investment, almost nine percent of all capital investment.

The report found the main barrier to achieving environmental and development goals has been the inherent fragmentation of the tourism industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. This has indirectly led to a dilution of responsibilities between the private and public sectors, leading, at an ever-increasing rate, to environmental, economic and social problems.

"While protecting the environment, good practices in ecotourism can create small enterprises which provide jobs to local people, thereby contributing to alleviation of poverty," Mrs. Aloisi de Larderel said.

Building on the report findings, UNEP Deputy Executive Director Shafqat Kakakhel urged the tourism industry leaders to:

• Build on the dialogue with UNEP, non-governmental organisations and other partners initiated during the production of the reports, and in particularly through the Tour Operators Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development;
  
  
• Develop, promote and implement codes of conduct and standards which take account of the environment;
  
  
• Push for the integration of sustainable travel and tourism into government policies;
  
  
• Inform travellers and employees on sustainable tourism;
  
  
• Encourage all actors in the sector to practice corporate social responsibility;
  
  
• Use the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines to report on environmental performance, and to adopt initiatives such as eco-labeling and quantified targets for improvement of environmental performance such as energy efficiency, water consumption and carbon emissions;
  
  
• Develop schemes to share benefits of the tourism with local populations and help development local entrepreneurs, such as through supply chain management;
  
  
• Carry out environmental impact assessment studies for all new tourism projects;
  
  
• Work with government to expand schemes for the establishment of economic incentives related to tourism and the environment, such as fees on cruises to help maintain national parks, or visitor payback mechanisms for local conservation projects.

Mrs. Aloisi de Larderel said that other sectors covered in the UNEP analysis also had an important role to play in helping develop sustainable tourism.

Programme of the Event (PDF - 49 KB)

Speakers and Presentations

Media Coverage

- UNEP press release (PDF - 28 KB)
- An article in The Jakarta Post