UNGIS

UNWTO is the UN's specialised agency in the field of tourism. It provides leadership and support to the tourism sector in the advancement of sustainable policies, practices and actions. Through the promotion and development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, UNWTO endeavours to maximise tourism's contribution to socio-economic growth, job creation, development, environmental conservation, cultural enrichment and international understanding, while minimising negative social or environmental impacts. It pays particular attention to the interests of developing countries.

UNWTO's general work programme comprises:

• Five regional programmes (Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East)
• Sustainable Development of Tourism
• Ethics and Social Dimensions of Tourism
• Technical Cooperation and Services
• Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account
• Market Trends and Marketing Strategies
• Education and Training
• Knowledge Network
• Risk and Crisis Management
• Destination Management
• Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
• Special field programme/fairs
• Information Resources and Archives
• Communications
• Affiliate members.

UNWTO acts as an executing agency for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and has cooperation agreements with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN regional commissions, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and other UN specialised agencies- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and World Health Organization (WHO).

In the framework of the UN commitment of 'delivering as one' to ensure effective development assistance and accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UNWTO is leading an initiative with nine other UN agencies and programmes to coordinate their tourism-related work under the UN Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD). The other organisations are: the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNDP, UNESCO, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNEP.