COP29 to Feature Thematic Day on Climate Change and Tourism for the First Time

For the first time, the UN Climate Change conference of the parties will welcome Tourism Ministers, placing the sector firmly within the COP29 Action Agenda and providing a high-level platform for dialogue – at the initiative and joint leadership of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).

This achievement reflects the leading role played by UN Tourism in a shift for a science-based approach to guide the sector on tourism climate action, and builds on the efforts of the Glasgow Declaration Initiative, which is implemented within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme. The collaboration of committed Member States and tourism stakeholders, and the support provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), have been instrumental in achieving this landmark momentum for the tourism sector at COP29.

Scheduled for 20th November, the First Ministerial Meeting on Climate Action in Tourism will be followed by three high-level thematic roundtables on measurement and decarbonization, regeneration (adaptation) and finance and innovative solutions, building towards a bold tourism climate agenda for good.

Access the Programme of Events here.

Baku Declaration: Tourism steps up its ambitions

The COP29 Presidency, will lead the launch of the Baku Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism. The Declaration is a call to action in response to the need to develop more economy-wide Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, as called for by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, UNFCCC's Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell and UN Tourism Secretary – General, Zurab Pololikashvili. In Baku, government representatives will be encouraged to endorse the Declaration and set out their plans to connect tourism policies and efforts with national climate goals and the UN Climate Change Agenda. UN Tourism and the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan will be releasing for public consultation a Position Paper on Exploring Opportunities to Integrate Tourism in NDCs, in a nationally determined manner.

To endorse the Baku Declaration, please send an official written communication (letter, note verbale, etc.) to the COP29 Presidency or email to [email protected] The full text of the Baku Declaration is available here (see Annex 9 on page 20).

Boosting Engagement and Accountability

Two of UN Tourism's flagship sustainability initiatives will also feature in the Thematic Day, with stakeholders urged to take action.

The Glasgow Declaration Initiative on Climate Action in Tourism, is a voluntary commitment launched at COP26, implemented within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, and recognized as a Global Climate Action initiative by UNFCCC. At COP29, the Glasgow Declaration Initiative is to be given fresh impetus to include additional signatories, especially focusing on its positioning as a tool to support the implementation of national climate policies through tourism climate action structured around five strategic pathways: measurement, decarbonization, regeneration/adaptation, collaboration and finance.

To join the Glasgow Declaration Initiative and become part of a multi-stakeholder network of over 900 organizations collectively working on climate action, please visit Glasgow Declaration Initiative page.

Also in Baku, the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in February 2024, will be formally acknowledged as the tool to measure the sector's climate action impacts. The MST Framework is a living example of moving beyond GDP to also include environmental data, such as GHG emissions and energy use. In recognition of this, MST will be positioned in its capacity to drive the production of more trustworthy, country-owned and internationally comparable data on the impact of tourism on climate change, laying the necessary foundation for progress in the mitigation of tourism-related GHG emissions and energy efficiency.

Click here to find out more about the Statistical Framework on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism.

A COP29 Legacy for Enhanced Climate Action

As part of the plans to continue accelerating climate action in tourism, COP29 delegates will be discussing a coordination mechanism and partnership envisaged, led by UN Tourism with the UN System, multilateral partners, the industry, academia and other key stakeholders to ensure coherence and alignment to advance a science-based agenda for positive impact.

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.

UN Tourism Communications Department
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