The WTO's General Assembly,
I
Considering the tragic events that plunged into grief the United States of America, and indeed the world…
The WTO's General Assembly,
I
Considering the tragic events that plunged into grief the United States of America, and indeed the world;
Considering that, on 11 September 2001, four civilian aircraft on US domestic service were destroyed by terrorist acts and that the crews, hundreds of passengers and thousands of innocent victims in buildings located in New York City and Washington D.C. were killed;
Aware that the immediate consequences of these acts were the closure of all United States civil airports and the disruption of domestic and international air services to, from and within North America;
Having listened to the declarations on this subject made by the Chairmen of the Regional Commissions and by all heads of delegation during the general debate;
Recalling its resolution A/RES/145(V) concerning the safety of civil aviation in relation to tourism;
Mindful that this unprecedented and brutal act of terrorism is likely to have profound, negative, consequences for domestic and international tourism;
Conscious that stakeholders and professionals in the world-wide tourism industry look to
1. Strongly condemns these and other heinous acts of terrorism that took place in its Members States, which have caused enormous loss of human life, destruction and damage;
2. Expresses its compassion and conveys its solidarity to the government and people of the United States of America and to other countries of the victims, in these sad and tragic circumstances, as well as its revulsion at terrorism, an enemy of peace and tourism;
3. Strongly supports United Nations General Assembly resolution 56/1 of 12 September 2001, which urgently called "for international cooperation to prevent and eradicate acts of terrorism" and stressed that "those responsible for aiding, supporting or harbouring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of such acts will be held accountable" and Security Council resolution 1368 (2001), of the same date, which expressed determination "to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts";
4. Expresses its firm conviction that tourism is a resilient sector which has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to overcome problems and weather crises;
5. Pledges its full support to WTO member States whose tourism industry has suffered as a direct result of these and other acts of terrorism;
6. Offers its assistance to all tourism stakeholders, and in particular to its partners in the air transport industry, viz. ICAO, IATA, airport authorities and airlines, in combating the decline in tourist travel, rebuilding consumer confidence and developing practical safety measures – with the understanding and cooperation of the travelling public – to diminish the risk of future terrorist acts, through all possible measures including WTO's Safety and Security Network and Task Force for Tourism;
II
Aware of the moral and ethical dimension of this situation and the relevance of the principles embodied in WTO's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted at its thirteenth session;
Considering that emotions feed prejudices which increase acts of discrimination, particularly in time of crisis;
1. Emphasizes that tolerance and understanding must be promoted, and strongly rejects any form of discrimination in tourism, whether directed against the individual or collectively against ethnic, cultural or religious groups;
2. Urges that, in accordance with the provisions of WTO's Global Code of Ethics, when governments issue travel advisories, they should offer objective, fair and balanced information, so as not to prejudice the tourism interests of the countries or destinations in question;
3. Expresses its firm conviction that dialogue and interchange through tourism deepens mutual understanding among civilizations and thereby contributes powerfully to preventing terrorism, and
4. Urges Members to give their full support to the theme of the 2001 World Tourism Day "Tourism: a tool for peace and dialogue among civilizations", since – through the good will and sense of common purpose it engenders – tourism can assuredly play its part in resolving conflicts, settling differences and promoting lasting peace among peoples.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
