A/RES/65/173 development, and underlines the importance of promoting the full participation and involvement of local and indigenous communities in decisions that affect them and of integrating indigenous and local knowledge, heritage and values in ecotourism initiatives, as appropriate; Emphasizes the need for effective measures in the context of ecotourism 9. initiatives to ensure the full empowerment of women, including equal participation of women and men at all levels and in decision-making processes in all areas; 10. Calls upon the United Nations system, in the context of the global campaign for the Millennium Development Goals, to promote ecotourism as an instrument that can contribute to achieving those Goals, in particular the Goals of eradicating extreme poverty and of ensuring environmental sustainability, and to support the efforts and policies of developing countries in this field; 11. Encourages the regional and international financial institutions to provide adequate support to programmes and projects related to ecotourism, taking into account the economic and environmental benefits of such activities; 12. Recognizes the role of North-South cooperation in promoting ecotourism as a means to achieve economic growth, to reduce inequalities and to improve living standards in developing countries, and also recognizes that South-South and triangular cooperation, as complements to North-South cooperation, have potential for promoting ecotourism; 13. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization and other relevant United Nations agencies and programmes, a report on the implementation of the present resolution, including recommendations on ways and means to promote ecotourism as a tool for fighting poverty and promoting sustainable development. 69th plenary meeting 20 December 2010 3