At the Chamber meeting on the 11th, three proposals were unanimously approved to further enhance the implementation of policies and good practices within the scope of sustainable development.
Local authorities have increasing responsibilities in preparing their territories to become more resilient to climate change and socio-economic challenges.
In this sense, adherence to the “Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy”; participation in the “ECOXXI Program of the Blue Flag Association of Europe (ABAE)”; and membership of the “Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC – Global Sustainable Tourism Council)”, reinforces Baião’s position with these national and international bodies.
The mayor of Baião, Paulo Pereira, explained that “these membership proposals are part of our strategy to position Baião as a sustainable tourist destination. Each of these entities contributes to enhancing the goals for sustainable development of the United Nations, which define the priorities and aspirations of global sustainable development, mobilizing efforts around a set of common objectives and goals”.
COVENANT OF MAYORS FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is an initiative launched by the European Commission that resulted from the merger of the Covenant of Mayors initiatives, aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and Mayors Adapt, aimed at adapting to climate change.
It brings together local and regional authorities who are voluntarily committed to implementing the European Union’s climate and energy objectives on their territory.
The signatories share a vision of making their territories decarbonized and resilient, where citizens simultaneously have access to safe, sustainable, accessible and renewable energy, and commit themselves, in general terms, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse, increasing the resilience of the territory, adapting to the impacts of climate change and combating energy poverty and ensuring a just transition.
ECOXXI PROGRAM OF THE BLUE FLAG ASSOCIATION OF EUROPE
The ECOXXI Program is a national project of the Blue Flag Association of Europe (ABAE), which recognizes good sustainability practices developed at the level of municipalities in the field of the environment.
Composed of 21 local sustainability indicators, this program recognizes as eco-municipalities those that demonstrate the implementation of good practices, policies and actions around themes considered key, such as Environmental Education for Sustainable Development, Civil Society, Institutions, Conservation of Nature, Air; Water, Energy, Waste, Mobility, Noise, Agriculture, Tourism and Spatial Planning.
ECOXXI municipalities place sustainability at the center of territory development strategies and now have at their disposal a useful tool that centralizes information from all municipal services and which can be consulted regularly, contributing to the monitoring and assessment of actions and policies in different areas of sustainability.
GSTC – GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM COUNCIL
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council was created in 2007 by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation), the World Tourism Organization of United Nations (UNWTO) and 32 tourism industry partners, with the aim of promoting the adoption of universal principles of sustainable tourism.
This entity manages global criteria and standards for sustainable travel and tourism, in addition to providing international accreditation to certification bodies, in a worldwide effort to develop a common language on sustainability in tourism.
Destination certification is centered on a balance between 4 fundamental pillars: environmental, social, cultural and economic, in an integrated development approach in which all assets and actors in the territory must be mobilized for sustainable development.
Joining this body allows the Baião municipality to be involved in a more comprehensive way, increasing its sphere of influence, by allowing it to participate and vote in Board of Directors meetings, issue opinions with regard to sustainable tourism policies, express positions on sustainability policies and practices, participate in GSTC meetings and events that bring together members and stakeholders in networking, in training programs on sustainable tourism and in exclusive working groups and seminars, as well as having access to educational and research materials on topics related to the development of sustainable tourism, sustainability practices, certification and international standards.
The adhesion of the municipality of Baião to the GSTC thus confirms its commitment to the principles of sustainable tourism and will allow it to participate actively in this worldwide network, which promotes a development strategy based on the quality of life of the population, in a balance between environmental, social, cultural and economic pillars, as well as the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
This accession is still subject to the approval of the Municipal Assembly of Baião.
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