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Uganda to be World’s First Nation to Adopt
Tourism Legislation in support of UN MDG
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(Kampala 13 June 2007) Uganda President,
HIS EXCELLENCY YOWERI
KAGUTA MUSEVENI,
in his
keynote address to the 4th IIPT African
Conference on Peace through Tourism, announced that his
government will introduce Tourism Legislation in support
of the UN Millennium Development Goals. In making the
announcement, the President said: |
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His
Excellency Yovery Kaguta Museveni
in his keynote address |
”One of
the key constraints to tourism development has been the
weak law and regulations to guide and enforce proper
development in the industry. The role of the law in the
sustainable development of tourism and poverty
alleviation is critical. The legislation should enshrine
policies that are pro poor and underpin a coherent
institutional framework and supportive infrastructure
for the private sector.
“I therefore urge the policy makers to
incorporate principles and regulations in the new
legislation that |
will
enhance the achievement of the goals of PEAP and synchronize with the U.N. Millennium
Development Goals.
I specifically would like to sign legislation that
empowers the local communities to take advantage of the
opportunities to benefit from tourism and enshrine the
principles of sustainable tourism development.
Finally, as we grapple with the challenges of tourism
development, we should not loose focus of the pre
condition of peace in fostering the growth of the travel
and tourism industry. I wish to reaffirm my government’s
commitment to the entire pacification of the country, to
the maintenance of law and order, the provision of
support infrastructure and sound economic management
principles to facilitate the growth of the tourism
industry.”
The catalyst for
the Uganda legislation has been the publication:
Tourism Legislation and the UN Millennium Development
Goals, a joint publication of SNV, a
Netherlands-based international development organization
that provides advisory services to nearly 1800 local
organizations in over 30 developing countries to support
their fight against poverty; and the Sustainable Tourism
Cooperative Research Center (Australia), the world’s
leading scientific institution delivering research to
support the sustainability of travel and tourism.
The publication resulted from a regional workshop
that brought together advisors from SNV’s
country offices in Bhutan, Nepal, Lao PDR and Vietnam
and representatives from their client organizations.
Following the workshop, and subsequent research, the
need and usefulness of a publication that would link
tourism law to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
was acknowledged and John Downes, a tourism law expert,
was engaged by SNV’s Asia Tourism Network to develop the
publication.
The report was then shared with the Sustainable Tourism
Cooperative Research Center (CRC) which agreed to
provide editorial assistance and promote the report’s
publication and distribution to a wider audience. Dr
Paul Rogers, Senior Tourism Advisor with SNV Lao PDR,
was responsible for leading and coordinating the
initiative from its original conception. Copies of the
report are available for purchase from the STCRC online
bookshop.
IIPT President Louis
D’Amore said: “We were honored to facilitate the
introduction of the publication: Tourism Legislation
and the UN Millennium Development Goals, together
with the SNV and Sustainable Tourism CRC to the Uganda
Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry with a view to
the adoption of this milestone legislation as a major
concrete outcome of the 4th IIPT African
Conference on Peace through Tourism. We look forward to
continued collaboration with SNV and STCRC in promotion
and implementation of this important legislation.”
A special “Ministers Round Table” on Expanding the
Contribution of Tourism to Poverty Reduction and the UN
Millennium Development Goals brought together Tourism
Ministers from other countries taking part in the
conference with a view to encouraging this important
legislation in other countries of Africa. Several donor
agencies including the SNV, UNDP, USAID and World Bank,
as well as UNEP took part in the Round Table to discuss
and recommend public – private sector – donor agency –
NGO – Civil Society collaborative strategies to move
from legislation – towards implementation.
About International Institute for Peace through Tourism
(IIPT)
IIPT is dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism
initiatives which contribute to international
understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of
environment, the preservation of heritage, and poverty
reduction, and through these initiatives, help bring
about a more peaceful and sustainable world.
IIPT’s mission is to mobilize travel and tourism, the
world’s largest industry, as the world’s first ‘Global
Peace Industry,’ an industry that promotes and supports
the belief that ‘Every traveler is potentially an
Ambassador for Peace.’
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For more information on IIPT please
visit:
www.iipt.org; Tel: 802 253.2658; Fax: 802 253.2645;
Email:
Africa@iipt.org
Media Contact: Karen Hoffman, The Bradford Group.
Tel: 212 447.0027;
Email:
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