Tourism and Construction have Power to Lead Move to Sustainable Economies
Tourism and Construction have Power to Lead Move to Sustainable Economies
Madrid, Spain, 19
July 2018 – From infrastructure and communication to food production and
transport, tourism and construction play key roles in a circular
economy framework that supports sustainable development. The World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO), together with the Sustainable Buildings
and Construction Programme of the One Planet Network, addressed this
challenge during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on
Sustainable Development (9-18 July, New York, USA).
Tourism and construction are
part of the overall economic value chain. Best practices in circular
economy thinking that can help these large economic sectors shift to
sustainable consumption and production (SCP) were at the centre of the
event ‘Tourism & Construction: Circular Economy solutions for SDG12’, organized by UNWTO.
Advancing sustainability in
the tourism sector and fulfilling its responsibility in the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a task that benefits from
new technological advances, continuous innovation and the strengthening
of models such as the circular economy. Especially in view of SDG12 on
‘sustainable consumption and production patterns’, and considering the
need to grow responsibly as a sector overall, tourism has an important
role to play in the decoupling of economic development from resource
use.
With its vast links to other
economic activities and direct interaction between consumer and
producer, tourism can – if managed well – create positive, long-lasting
impacts that go well beyond the sector. Adapting circular production and
consumption patterns that accelerate sustainability is therefore key to
the long-term health and resilience of tourism businesses and
destinations.
Against both this background and the review of SDG 12 at the High-Level Political Forum, the event ‘Tourism & Construction: Circular Economy solutions for SDG12’ underscored
that embracing circularity implies robust measurement and monitoring of
impacts of tourism and construction activities, including energy and
water use efficiency, climate change mitigation, waste management, local
sourcing, sustainable land use, biodiversity protection and decent
employment, among others.
The 17 SDGs represent a
common vision for prosperity, equality, justice and climate action,
brought together under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal
12 calls for more responsible SCP patterns and practices across
sectors, with the One Planet Multi-Partner Trust Fund for SDG 12, inaugurated
on 17 July 2018, to support partners’ commitments to accelerating this
shift. The Fund is a joint effort of the UN Environment Programme, the
Food and Agriculture Organization, UNWTO, UN-Habitat and the UN Office
for Project Services.
‘Tourism & Construction: Circular Economy solutions for SDG12’featured
panels and presentations from the governments and tourism and
development administrations of Bhutan, Botswana, Finland, France, Mexico
and Switzerland. The gathering also played host to the launch of
UNWTO’s Tourism for SDGs Platform,
an interactive online tool that aims to create collaboration, motivate
discussion and foster action between the tourism sector and the world of
sustainable development. The
platform, developed with the support of the Swiss Secretariat for
Economic Affairs, is for policy makers, companies and all tourism
stakeholders to connect and jointly advance their SDG implementation
strategies.
Concluding the event, the
Head of Delegation for Sustainable Development from the Ministry for the
Ecological and Inclusive Transition of France stressed the need to
accelerate the shift towards SCP and encouraged both tourism and
construction to build cross-sectorial cooperation. If properly developed
and used, circular economy solutions will be instrumental to
transforming the sustainability of our economic model.
About the One Planet – Sustainable Tourism Programme
The One Planet Sustainable
Tourism Programme is part of the ten-year framework of programmes on
sustainable consumption and production, official implementation
mechanism of SDG12 aiming at mainstreaming sustainability among tourists
and tourism stakeholders worldwide.
Circular economy thinking can
enhance this shift because it promotes changes in the consumption and
production of goods and services: from buy-use-discard to buy-use-reuse
or refurbish, and from traditional ideas of ownership towards sharing
economies.
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