Mexico and Burkina Faso official hosts of World Tourism Day 2014 and 2015

Mexico was selected to be the official host country for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2014 and Burkina Faso for WTD 2015. The respective themes will be “Tourism and Community Development” for 2014, and “One billion tourists, one billion opportunities” for 2015.

The announcement was made at the 20^th UNWTO General Assembly (Victoria Falls, 29 August).

Celebrated annually on 27 September, World Tourism Day is the biggest international event in tourism.  Its purpose is to foster awareness among the global community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address the global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and highlight the tourism sector´s contribution to achieving these goals.

WTD 2013 will be held at the Maldives, centered on the theme “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future”, highlighting the tourism sector´s leadership role and contribution in facing the global water challenge.

 
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World Tourism Day

UNWTO General Assembly opens in Victoria Falls

The global tourism community gathers this week at Victoria Falls for the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly. Visa facilitation, connectivity and accessibility will be key topics at this Assembly, aiming to advance tourism´s sustainable growth (Livingstone/Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe, 24 – 29 August 2013).

Key issues such as visa facilitation, connectivity and accessibility will be in the agenda of the over 120 delegations from UNWTO Members States gathering this week at Victoria Falls. The 20^th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly will also debate the Organization’s Programme of Work for 2014-2015 and elect the Secretary General for the next four years’ period.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon greeted the participants in a video message. “Tourism is an undisputed generator of national wealth, corporate income and local employment. Managed sustainably, it can benefit people and planet alike,” he said addressing the Assembly. “As we work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a post-2015 development agenda, I call on all UNWTO Members and the global tourism community to examine how best to contribute to sustainable development.”

“This Assembly is a timely opportunity for all of us to continue along an encouraging path to drive tourism towards its fullest potential in fostering sustainable economic growth, jobs and development and what better backdrop to do so than here in Africa, a region where we believe tourism can be a true force for good”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

The General Assembly is the main statutory meeting of UNWTO and the most important gathering of senior tourism officials and high-level representatives from around the world. Held every two years, the Assembly is attended by delegations representing Full and Associate UNWTO Members, Affiliate Members, and representatives of other international organizations. (Source UNWTO)

Chivuna Girls Expelled Over Cellphones

St. Joseph's Is A Girls' Secondary School

By Matongo Maumbi

St. Joseph's Secondary School in Chivuna, Monze has 'expelled' three girls for being in possession of cellphones, which are prohibited by the school.

Two other girls, who are in examination classes, have been suspended till time for final exams.

When contact Head Teacher, Scholastica Namangala Banda explained that Parents agreed for such measures to be taken adding that they even signed some documents to endorse it.

Strangely, the affected parents have expressed ignorance but the Head Teacher said it's a learning experience. She said the move would deter other girls from using phones. She pointed out that the school has two cellphones for use by the girls except the girls shun using them.

The Girls were sent away on Wednesday, June 4, 2013 and their parents were not given an audience as per normal disciplinary measure.

"They were found charging their phones at the weekend," explained the source. "The school administration sat on Monday and called the parents to come and pick up their children by Wednesday latest Friday."

Some teachers talked to have expressed shock at the 'expulsion' of the girls which the Headteacher said was a transfer request from the parents.

"It is agreeable that by the rules set by the school, it is not allowed for pupil to own a phone, but the punishment of EXPULSION is far too harsh," said one of the Teachers who sought anonymity.

A lecturer at University of Zambia Nambole Munkombwe reacted: "It sounds harsh but truth be told. These pupils may have been warned a number of times but they thought they would survive. Parents are also to blame for the illegal provisions. It is now the parents who are carrying the burden. They have to find schools for their expelled children."

He adds: "One of the most disturbing items in learning are cell phones. So much time is wasted playing with these pieces of technology. As an educationist, I find cell phones a deterant to good learning."

However, James Asiana Banda argues that "the world has changed now. Schools should be flexible on the use of cell phones. In fact some educators are promoting incorporating cell phones into their teaching. Use of technology in teaching is a great motivator for learning. And cell phones are the readily available technology tools. We need to move on and accept the change."

Hikabwa Decius Chipande, a former teacher at the school, is "concerned with the issues being raised in the other chat of demonizing the headteacher Mrs. Banda. The rules were clearly spelt in the acceptance letters and we have to understand that Chivuna is a mission school - set in that area to primarily serve the local people in Chivuna not us in Lusaka. Such rules help to level the playing fields with kinds coming from Chijanwa, Nkonkola etc. 

"It is because of this discipline that we always go there to plead for places. As a former Chivuna teacher I know that the school deals with such cases in a level headed way. Therefore, I plead with those demonizing Mrs. Banda - who was my teacher at St Pauls Secondary by the way to engage the school in a better way and it is possible that they can reconsider and reinstate the kids."

Chipande further warns that "contacting a minister or whoever will make them (school admin) take a hard stance. My daughter is at St Josephs and if she happens to be one of them I would just accept it and punish her myself because I insist that every-time she leaves for school she must leave her phone."

Namboole concludes that "rules for conducive study are in place and should be obeyed. These rules have been developed over time and have been shown to work. Students should understand when they are being helped. Disobedience deserves to be punished although not as harshly as executed in the current case, but the students knew what was coming if caught and therefore well-deserved."

The question that remains unanswered: Was the punishment the girls received well-deserved?

UNWTO & ATM Ministerial Forum welcomes over 25 ministers as second annual meeting emphasises need for aviation and tourism sector synergy

More than 25 ministers took part in the second annual UNWTO & Ministerial Forum at the Arabian Travel Market with delegates sharing their views on how to work together towards long-term aviation and tourism sector growth.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the event, entitled "Tourism & Aviation: Building a common agenda for growth", was opened by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of ATM.

Addressing the issue of tourism and aviation Mr. Rifai highlighted that tourism and aviation need to move out of working in silos. "Tourism and aviation are siblings, and have been working together in parallel lines. We cannot see them separate from one another; with 52% of world travellers reaching their destination by air, their growth is intrinsically linked," he added.

The UNWTO address set the scene for the ensuing discussion, which was dominated by the challenges and opportunities facing the aviation sector in the region, with Mr. Rifai touching on the related twin issues of taxation and visa facilitation. "There are visa regimes still belonging to a century that has past. Despite the fact that the UAE and Dubai are leading the way in opening up in terms of visa accessibility, the Middle East is still lagging behind as 70% of people still need visas to enter the region," he said.

HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, launched the debate by reaffirming the region's geographical relevance to the tourism sector.

"The Arabian Peninsula has always been a crossroads for different civilisations. These days those roads are in the sky rather than on the ground, and the same role that Arabia has played in the past is now similarly happening with airline networks," he said, adding: "The alliance between tourism and air transportation is very much a non-separable alliance, and it is very important focus on aligning these two sectors to make places more accessible and affordable.

Highlighting the potential of regional cooperation, HE Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Managing Director of the Higher Committee on International Expo Dubai 2020, said: "For mega events, we have to build synergies and expand the traveller experience.  Expo 2020 is not just about Dubai, the region will benefit with visitors going on to explore Muscat or Petra, for example.  We are promoting the region as a whole, expanding the picture, becoming more attractive and appealing - both to visitors but also to other airlines."

HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing of Dubai, used the Middle East as a prime example of how tourism and aviation can work together, and what the rest of the world can learn from the region. "First and foremost, to foster tourism and look to the future, countries and cities should look at adopting open skies policies. The development of airport, attractions, and hotels are all important but the key is to allow airlines to fly without restrictions," he commented.

Participants stressed the need to identify the links between tourism and aviation and set structures where tourism, civil aviation and airlines can work together. Other issues highlighted were the need to extend the principle of liberalization to more and more countries, the opportunities existing for regional cooperation in the Middle East, particularly in view of attracting long haul markets and the importance of aligning tourism objectives with airlines profitability.

Participating in the Ministerial Forum were the Ministers of Tourism of Bahamas, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Lebanon, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, the Director General of the National Council of Tourism and Antiquities of the UAE, the Vice-Minister of Tourism of Azerbaijan, the Assistant Under Secretary of Tourism of Kuwait, the Director General of the Jordan Tourist Board and the CEO of the Mozambique Tourism Authority. Representing the aviation industry were the Vice President of International & Public Affairs of Etihad Airways, the CEO of Dubai Airports and the Senior Vice President, Revenue Optimisation and Distribution, of Emirates Airline.

Concluding Mr .Rifai highlighted the importance of moving this agenda forward. "We have started a debate that has to go on and on. We will carry on at World Travel Market in London in co-operation with Reed Travel Exhibitions after setting a framework today and keep the conversation going".

"The theme of Dubai's Expo candidacy – connecting minds, creating the future - can become that which unites us together – so let's connect our minds, put our thoughts together, and declare that we are on target to handle the issues of the time, and lead the way for the international community."

Agriculture and politics in Africa

By Susanna Thorp, WRENmedia

 

Many major changes are shaping the politics of African agriculture. Food price volatility, large-scale deals by foreign countries and companies, a growing urban population and demographic changes are all having an impact. 

In the abundance of maize stocks,
Zambia is hit by a serious shortage of mealie meal
in certain parts of the country Picture by Bill Owen Fine Art America

Adebayo Olukoshi of the UN African Institute for Economic Development and Planning in his opening keynote speech at a conference on the political economy of agricultural policy in Africa (PEAPA), said despite the challenges, many on the continent see a positive future. If Afro-pessimism was the mood 10 or 20 years ago, could Afro-optimism - or even Afro-enthusiasm - be a better description of the prevailing mood?  

On a more cautious note, Olukoshi warned that this enthusiasm may mask the challenges ahead. However, he also argued that we should not think of smallholder farmers as being simply passive recipients or victims of policy and political changes. Agricultural politics is not just for high-level discussions, he stated, change often comes from below.

On day two of the PEAPA conference held between 18-20 March in Pretoria, South Africa, a strong call for “donors to go home” was made in the plenary session on CAADP (the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme). “African economies are growing at 4-5% so they have plenty of fiscal resources. 

If donors pulled out, African governments would have to respond by investing more in agriculture,” said Hans Binswanger-Mkhize of the University of Pretoria. However, echoing arguments made by Olukoshi in his keynote, the CAADP plenary panel emphasised that even if more resources become available, this would not necessarily lead to more investment in agriculture. 

“Agriculture is seen as a potential black-hole,” said Mandivamba Rukuni, director of the Policy Development Trust in Zimbabwe. “We have to convince banks and ministries of finance that their support will trigger more wealth; that for every dollar invested, a return of two to three dollars will be achieved.”

During the three days of the conference, organised by the Future Agricultures Consortium and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, politics and agriculture were discussed and debated in sessions on food prices, seed systems, extension and land, amongst many others. 

Whilst progress has been observed in some quarters, farmers are still faced with a structure of incentives loaded against small-scale agriculture, inherited from colonial times and consolidated during the post-colonial period. 

But as stated by Olukoshi in the opening session, “It is a mistake to think that rural communities are voiceless or docile.”

However, for civil society organisations (CSOs) to be more successful in engaging in agricultural policies in Africa, it was stated that CSOs need to “get out of their comfort zone and must invest more in connecting to other players in this process.” Greater successes would be achieved if diverse CSOs, including NGOs, farmer organisations and social movements, worked together and with academia to create a bigger space for engaging in policy processes.

In the closing session of the conference, Lindwe Sibanda of FANRPAN (Food and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network) remarked that the time was certainly right to discuss politics - but talk must also be translated into action. Engagement of policymakers was required, perhaps by taking experiences from countries to regional communities, as well as looking at ways to hold politicians and others to account.