Sustainable tourism and sustainable development in Central America A/RES/72/214 Republic, held in Guatemala City on 27 August 2014, and the outcomes adopted at the 96th meeting of the Central American Tourism Council, held in San Salvador on 14 July 2015, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 5 2. Recognizes the major role that sustainable tourism plays in the development of the Central American countries, as an instrument of social inclusion that generates decent jobs and contributes to the improvement of the qualit y of life of the population, aimed at achieving poverty eradication in all its forms and dimensions; 3. Recalls the adoption of the principles of sustainable tourism, developed by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat and found in its stra tegic plan for sustainable development, 2014–2018, which captures the region’s vision of itself as an integrated, sustainable, multi-location, cross-border destination of high quality and emphasizes its action plan for tourism and climate change as a component of the regional strategy on climate change; 4. Recognizes the valuable role of international cooperation with relevant partners, and encourages them to continue to support the implementation of various projects aimed at promoting sustainable tourism in the region by, inter alia , strengthening ecotourism, rural, cultural and heritage tourism, i ncluding colonial sites, preventing trafficking in cultural artefacts and ensuring respect for intangible cultural heritage; 5. Welcomes the progress made by the Central American countries in converging towards a regional tourism strategy based on preserving the region’s biodiversity and natural and cultural attractions and reducing poverty through employment and entrepreneurial tourism development that emphasizes micro -, small and medium-sized enterprises, while addressing the adverse effects of climate change, to improve the quality of life of the region’s inhabitants; 6. Appreciates the continued efforts of the Central American countries to support sustainable tourism development, including the adoption and implementation of new legislation and policies, and encourages them to use sustainable tourism as a tool to promote the eradication of poverty and enhance the protection of biodiversity, cultural heritage and community development; 7. Recognizes the continued need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building efforts that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the human and natural environment as a whole; 8. Notes the importance of adequately measuring the sociocultural and environmental impact of tourism, and encourages efforts to fill the present data gap in this area by taking advantage of the emergence of non-traditional solutions and sources of data, with an overarching goal of advancing the national sustainable development agenda beyond the tourism sector; 9. Recognizes that the implementation of sustainable consumption and production patterns in the tourism sector in Central America, and hence advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region, 6 requires, inter alia, the identification and adoption of more resource-efficient tourism planning approaches by all relevant stakeholders; __________________ 5 6 17-23283 A/72/174. Resolution 70/1. 3/5