11 October 2011: A Ministerial Roundtable convened by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) served to review tourism’s “sustainability credentials” ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). Held on the theme “Fostering Growth and the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs), the Roundtable was attended by Ministers and UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

The Roundtable took place 11 October 2011, as part of the 19th General Assembly of the UNWTO, which is convening in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, from 10-13 October.

In her address to the Roundtable, Migiro observed that “community-oriented tourism is a growing supporter of family and small-sized enterprises” in developing countries, and has the potential to “promote women’s social and economic mobility,” unlocking their entrepreneurship. She recommended that governments, inter alia: develop a pro-poor tourism strategy that focuses on services and jobs; and increase community participation in developing tourism products and in the development and management of tourism sites.

According to the UNWTO, the Roundtable was both an opportunity to review the progress of the MDGs, and to assess tourism’s sustainability credentials ahead of Rio+20. [Statement of UN Deputy Secretary-General] [UNWTO Press Release] [Website of UNWTO General Assembly]