A/RES/70/196 Sustainable tourism and sustainable development in Central America as a model for the rest of the region and the Americas in using data on sustainable tourism for improving policies and offering capacity-building to enhance the sustainability of destinations; 8. Recognizes the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building efforts that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the human and natural enviro nment as a whole; 9. Also recognizes the opportunities for promoting sustainable tourism activities through the programme on sustainable tourism and its component on ecotourism under the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns adopted by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 and the launch of the sustainable tourism programme of the framework, and encourages further implementation through capacity-building projects and initiatives to support sustainable tourism; 10. Stresses the need to promote the further development of sustainable tourism, in particular through the consumption of sustainable tourism products and services, and to strengthen the development of ecotourism, maintaining, in particular, the culture and environmental integrity of indigenous and local communities and enhancing the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and the natural heritage; 11. Welcomes the efforts of the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to promote sustainable tourism worldwide; 12. Invites States Members of the United Nations and other stakeholders and the World Tourism Organization to continue to support the activities undertaken by the Central American countries for the promotion of responsible and sustainable tourism in the region, in the context of emergency preparedness and mitigation of and response to natural disasters, as well as for capacity -building, in order to create jobs and promote local culture and products, including by empowering women and youth and extending the benefits of tourism to all sectors of society, including the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the population, while minimizing its negative impact, and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; 13. Encourages the Central American countries, through the Central American Tourism Council and the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat, to continue to support sustainable tourism through policies that foster responsive and inclusive tourism, strengthen regional identity and pro tect the natural and cultural heritage, especially their ecosystems and biodiversity, and notes that existing initiatives, such as the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism, among other international initiatives, can deliver direct and focused support to Governments to this end; 14. Also encourages the Central American countries to share their experiences on sustainable tourism aimed at contributing to poverty alleviation for the benefit of all countries; 4/5