On 1-2 June 2023 (14:00-17:00 Bishkek (GMT +6), 10:00-13:00 CET) UN Environment Programme, through the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals Initiative (GO4SDGs), is hosting a two-day Regional Webinar 'Sustainable Tourism: Waste Management and Environmental Certification’. The event is co-organized with ESG Central Asia and the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic. The focus of the webinar is to discuss the challenges and solutions of plastic pollution food waste in tourists areas, as well as to introduce integrated environmental certification as a tool for sustainable tourism.
Background
It is well recognized that sustainable tourism plays an important role in expanding the national economic opportunities and contributes to appropriate infrastructure development, which in turn has a positive multiplier effect on other sectors of economy. Furthermore, sustainable tourism prioritizes the actions to tackle plastic pollution and food waste, their impact on environment to better conserve and protect the wildlife and landscapes that make tourist destinations attractive.
Growing competition in the tourism industry today leads to a greater number of tourist services offered that trigger its quality improvement and the emergence of new marketing technologies and certification requirements. The latter promote advance standards on waste reduction; reuse and recycling; efficient use of energy; management of freshwater use; wastewater management; preservation of social and cultural development, etc.
This regional webinar will focus on the following key topics:
- Waste reduction.
- Efficient use of energy.
- Management of freshwater use.
- Wastewater management.
- Preservation of social and cultural development.
Expected Outcomes:
- Discuss challenges and solutions surrounding the topics of focus.
- Acquaint interested stakeholders with the best practices, lessons learned, and draw recommendations for further improvement.
- Introduce integrated environmental certification as a tool for sustainable tourism.
Agenda for the regional webinar (English): Sustainable Tourism Regional Webinar (English)
Agenda for the regional webinar (Russian): Sustainable Tourism Regional Webinar (Russian)
