Date: 15th October
Time: 14:00-16:30 Almaty time (12:00-14:30 Nairobi time)
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vdeCvrTsoHtCWZvt-r1sxC08Q-w9gJ8vA#/registration
Context and Background:
Tourism industry nowadays is ranked as the third in the world as to the height of its turnover, not only has it become the most dynamically developing industry, but it is also one of the key factors in the development of regions. It appears to be an important contribution especially for the development and employment in the regions where there is a lack of other economic activities. While growing it is tasked to observe sustainability to preserve the environment and by doing that make the tourist destinations more attractive. In this regard, sustainable tourism is seen important through prioritizing actions to tackle plastic pollution and food waste, reduce its impact on environment to better conserve and protect the wildlife and landscapes, as well as promote nature best solutions and circularity in tourism. Eco-certification is seen instrumental in this regard to allow environmentally sustainable practices by providers of tourist services.
Developing ecotourism services certification in Central Asia remains urgent nowadays. Study of available best practices brough a significant impetus to the development of ecotourism services certification in the region as part of desk assessment on unified eco-certification standards in the region. The desk assessment revealed the willingness of five Central Asian countries to pursue unified concept of sustainable tourism for environmental and social performance, based on equally accepted standards. Public authorities, hospitality sector companies, and local experts expressed a will to join efforts to introduce regional eco-certification standards both at the legislative and institutional levels that will become applicable in region-wide and relate, inter alia, to plastics and food waste prevention and efficient management. UNEP, mandated by UNEA Resolution 4/2 and as custodian of SDG 12.3 indicator, the Food Waste Index, supports the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 by building member state capacity to measure and reduce food waste. UNEP’s Food Waste Index report demonstrates that consumer food waste is generated at similar levels in developed and developing countries.
In West Asia, with GO4SDGs support, the Recipe of Change initiative was launched in 2022 and has been activated on special occasions (Ramadan, International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste) to raise awareness and trigger behavioral change in collaboration with leading stakeholders of the hospitality sector. The initiative is currently in the scale up process to further engage the hospitality sector at a global level.
Objective:
This thematic webinar aims at introducing the Recipe of Change initiative in hospitality sector of Central Asia to promote Sustainable Tourism and unified eco-certification standard for accommodation providers.
This event is framed with the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) initiative, which has established and animated the Asia Pacific Food Waste Regional Working Group since 2021, providing training on food waste measurement and national baseline setting, capacity building on key food waste reduction approaches, while facilitating South-South collaboration within regions, through a series of workshops and one-to-one support.
After framing the topic of food waste, by presenting the main findings of the UNEP Food Waste Index report 2024, good practices from the region will be showcased to inspire actions and reflect on the enabling conditions for south-to-south cooperation and peer-to-peer learning. Special focus will be given to consumer behavior change, highlighting the importance of context-based and tailored messaging, to inspire sustainable lifestyles in the hospitality sector and promote sustainable tourism. The Webinar will provide a platform for the representatives of government agencies, the hotel sector, small businesses, civil society, as well as international organizations to review and elaborate joint vision on the next practical steps, needed to develop subregional requirements for sustainable tourism facilities with a focus on food a plastic waste prevention and management.
Expected outcomes and impact
- Inspire action, by discussing success factors and lessons learned to replicate Recipe of Change in the region of Central Asia.
- Recommendations, targeting next steps and mapping tasks and responsibilities of each player in the sector.
- Strengthen stakeholder engagement in the region, to mobilize resources and action.
Follow up actions:
- Facilitate pilot activations of Recipe of Change by exploring an interest from larger hotel providers in the region to lead the initiative.
- Engaging governments and policy makers to reflect on the enabling conditions, policies and regulations, supporting food waste reduction and sustainable consumption and production in the tourism sector.
- Suggest regular tailor-made training activities for accommodation providers and other interested stakeholders.
Participants
Representatives of government agencies, hospitality sector organizations, including hotels and guest houses; as well as civil tourist organizations, society representatives from the Central Asian and West Asia countries, and international organizations.
