Innovators with ideas to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals have been celebrated in Madrid. The final of the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition saw 25 entrepreneurs and enterprises recognized for their creativity and commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 ambitious goals.

Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the support of over 25 partners from across the global innovation ecosystem, this competition is the biggest innovation initiative ever launched by any part of the wider United Nations system. In all, more than 10,000 applications from 138 different countries were received, each of them promising to advance one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Winners with common goal

“Today’s winners can inspire new ways to accelerate progress towards sustainability, equality and inclusivity,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a message congratulating the finalists. Every global region was represented among the 25 winners at the final event in Madrid, held on the eve of the FITUR International Tourism Trade Fair.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili added that “the winners of the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition can get us back on track to building a better, more sustainable future for both people and planet”.

The competition final highlighted the power of tourism to help reach the 2030 Agenda through driving progress in waste and resource management, green energy production, destination experiences and decarbonization, as well as through creating decent jobs for all, promoting inclusivity and gender equality and protecting ecosystems.

Political and corporate support

The event also highlighted the strong level of political support for UNWTO’s mission to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Joining Secretary-General Pololikashvili at Madrid’s Royal Theatre were the Ministers of Tourism of Sri Lanka and Panama, the Ambassador of Qatar to Spain, the Mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez-Almeida and Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

Against the backdrop of the final, UNWTO also supported Apolitical and Mastercard during a special panel event on Digital Country Partnerships, highlighting key actors rebuilding tourism through innovation. Special thanks were also given to sponsors and collaborators of the SDGs Global Startup Competition, including the main partner, Wakalua (the innovation hub of Globalia), partner airline Qatar Airways, and collaborators such as Telefonica, Amazon Web Services, Amadeus, amongst others – see the full list here.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
MESSAGE TO WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION SDG GLOBAL STARTUP COMPETITION

We have less than 10 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
And we are in the midst of a global pandemic that is setting back progress.
To get back on track, we need to unleash the power of new ideas and embrace a sustainable transformation.
Tourism has a critical role to play, and I commend the United Nations World Tourism Organization for its leadership.
Its SDGs Global Startup Competition is promoting innovation and a better recovery.
The competition attracted more than 10,000 applicants from 138 countries, and the ideas are as diverse as the innovators themselves.
All these startups have the potential to be scaled up and drive a positive transformation in our societies.
They can inspire new ways to accelerate progress towards sustainability, equality and inclusivity.
I thank everyone who has taken part in the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition, and I look forward to seeing these bright ideas being put into action.

About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.

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