Sustainable tourism and sustainable development in Central America A/RES/68/207 3. Welcomes the adoption of the principles of sustainable tourism by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat, conceptualized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council of the World Tourism Organization through its Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria to serve as the framework for tourism development, which are expressed in the strategic plan for sustainable development, 2009–2013, developed by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat, capturing the region’s vision of itself as an integrated, sustainable, multi-location destination of high quality; 4. Notes the valuable role of international cooperation with relevant partners in the implementation of various projects aimed at promoting sustainable tourism in the region, including by strengthening ecotourism, rural tourism and colonial cities tourism; 5. Also notes the existing joint initiatives designed and implemented to stimulate regional tourism integration, such as the Mayan World regional brand; 6. Welcomes the progress made by the Central American countries in converging on a regional tourism strategy based on conserving the region’s biodiversity and natural and cultural attractions, reducing poverty through employment and entrepreneurial tourism development that emphasizes the micro- and medium-sized enterprises that dominate the industry, addressing climate change and using tourism as a tool to improve the quality of life of the region’s inhabitants; 7. Notes the progress made by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat in promoting an action plan for tourism and climate change, as a component of the regional strategy on climate change, with support from the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, which contemplates actions to reduce vulnerability in the tourism sector and foster climate change adaptation and mitigation; 8. Welcomes the actions taken with the aim of establishing the Global Observatory of Sustainable Tourism network in the Americas, which may well serve 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; 9. 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 environment as a whole; 10. 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; 11. Stresses the need to promote the further development of sustainable tourism, in particular through the consumption of sustainable tourism products and services, to strengthen the development of ecotourism, building on the implementation of the declaration of 2012 as the Year of Sustainable Tourism in Central America, while maintaining the culture and environmental integrity of indigenous and local communities and enhancing the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and the natural heritage, and to promote the development of sustainable tourism and capacity-building in order to contribute to the strengthening 3/4