Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC)

The rapidly growing tourism industry possesses great potential for promoting environmental conservation and the well-being of local communities – if, that is, tourism businesses embrace the concepts and practices of sustainability.

Sustainable tourism and ecotourism work to protect the environment and the rights and livelihoods of local communities. Tourism businesses – including hotels, lodges, and tour operators – can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by meeting the standards for social and environmental practices that have been created by leading national and international certification programs. These objective, third-party organizations offer an authoritative “seal of approval” to those businesses meeting standards that conserve biodiversity and promote the well-being of workers and communities. There are more than 50 certification programs worldwide that have created national and international standards for sustainable tourism and ecotourism, and more are being created every year.

  • But how can the public tell which of these programs are credible?
  • How can tourism businesses choose which sets of standards will have legitimacy?
  • Which programs can show that they are making a difference – that certified tourism businesses have tangible impacts on workers, communities, and the environment and that businesses benefit from being certified.
  • And how can tourists be confident that the programs audit, certify, and provide continuous monitoring of those businesses that are serious about social and environmental accountability.


In response to these challenges, a coalition of tourism industry associations, nonprofit civil society organizations (NGOs) and government agencies has been working to create a global Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) -- an umbrella organization that would set universal minimum standards for certification programs and accredit those that meet them. This effort is led by a steering committee that includes the United Nations Environment Program, the Centre for Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, The International Ecotourism Society, and Rainforest Alliance, which is the international conservation organization that has provided technical and administrative leadership for the effort since 2001.
For a complete list of steering committee members, please visit: www.stscouncil.org


Structure and Responsibilities of the STSC


The proposed STSC will have an elected international board representing all stakeholder groups in the tourism industry; that is, tourism operators, environmental and social organizations, consumer groups and governmental agencies. The work of the board (which will be make the final decisions regarding accreditation of certification schemes) would be supported by an independent (and non-voting) scientific and advisory board comprising research and academic institutes, associations and international organizations (such as the UNWTO, UNEP etc.). The business plan that has been developed for the launch of the STSC proposes that it would initially coordinate its activities through regional certifier networks – such as the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas (STCNA), which represents more than 70 organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean – and other affiliated programs.

 

The responsibilities of the STSC will include:

  • Creating the first set of comprehensive global requirements for STSC-accredited sustainable tourism certification programs, building on the Global Baseline Criteria for Sustainable Tourism under development by an initiative coordinated by UNF, UNEP, UNWTO, RA, IUCN;
  • Evaluating the standards and practices advocated by any new or existing sustainable tourism program that wished to become accredited by the STSC;
  • Issuing an STSC seal-of-approval for sustainable tourism certification programs that meet the accreditation requirements;
  • Promoting those tourism certification programs that become accredited, and showcasing those national and international tourism companies that meet the STSC requirements;
  • Protecting the STSC seal-of-approval from misuse by certification programs that are not STSC-accredited;
  • Evaluating continuously the social and environmental impacts of STSC-accredited sustainable tourism certification programs and, if necessary, modifying STSC accreditation requirements to make certain that the desired effects are being produced;
  • Guaranteeing transparent multi-stakeholder involvement in the development of STSC accreditation requirements, following the principles of the ISEAL Code of Good Practice;
  • Providing guidance for the establishment and development of new sustainable tourism and ecotourism certification programs around the world and in countries where there are none; and
  • Advocating internationally and nationally for the political and financial support needed by sustainable tourism and ecotourism certification programs.


What are the Benefits of the STSC for…governments, local authorities and DMOs?

  • The STSC could assist them to raise the market profile and image of a destination in terms of its quality and environmental standards; it could also assist them to monitor and support local or national certification schemes.


…travellers and other consumers of sustainable tourism and ecotourism?

  • The STSC will provide new, credible identification of the hotels, lodges, and tour operators in which travellers can feel confident of their sustainable practices.


…conservation and community development groups?

  • The STSC will ensure that accredited sustainable tourism certification programs meet the highest standards for protecting the environment and the rights and livelihoods of communities.


…sustainable tourism and ecotourism certification programs?

  • The STSC will provide legitimacy and credibility to all those sustainable tourism certification programs that meet STSC requirements and, through its seal-of-approval, differentiation from those programs that have lower standards and weaker certification practices.
  • The STSC will also provide global standardization of principles, criteria, and procedures for claims of sustainability in tourism and ecotourism, facilitating comparisons and partnerships across certification programs.


…the tourism and ecotourism industry?

  • The STSC will provide stronger and more reliable access to national and international marketing channels for the sustainable tourism sought by an ever-expanding share of the market.
  • The STSC will also provide international third-party validation of all of the national and international, private and public, sustainable tourism certification programs with which tour operators may wish to engage.


. . . . . . . . . .


A meeting co-hosted by UNEP, UNWTO, the UN Foundation and Rainforest Alliance, was held in Paris on 24 and 25 April 2008, to define the next steps needed to launch the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council in early 2009. The 36 participants included members of the STSC Advisory Committee, representatives of intergovernmental agencies, foundations and bilateral and multilateral founders, tourism businesses, NGOs, and existing sustainable tourism certification programs.


The Rainforest Alliance will coordinate the registration of the STSC as a U.N. Type II Partnership. More than 60 letters of support for this registration have been received for this process, including many from organizations around the globe that could not attend the meeting.


A temporary Executive Board will be elected before the end of July 2008.


A Scientific and Technical Advisory Council” will be created to support the work of the Temporary Executive Board. This council will have confirmed participation of UNEP and UNWTO and it will be open to certification programs/networks and academics.


The United Nations Foundation will consider providing seed funding for the final steps of the process in moving toward the early 2009 launch; but considerable additional funding will be needed.


The United Nations Environment Programme offered assistance with managing the funds that become available between this meeting and the creation of the STSC as a legal nonprofit capable of receiving funds directly.


ECOTRANS offered the DestiNet platform as a tool to improve communications between regional networks of persons and organizations interested in the launch of the STSC; and


A subcommittee of the participants was created to look for parallel actions that can be taken to provide support to certification programs preparing them for accreditation and to link the Global Baseline Criteria (GBC) initiative with the STSC.