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Global Call To Action For Tourism and Travel Industry Leaders
Atlanta, 16 June, 2008 (FreshWaterAlert.org) -- FreshWaterAlert™
campaign urges tourism and travel professionals to address the emerging global
water crisis, calling tourism and travel industry leaders to actively address
the issue of water quality and conservation.
"It is increasingly clear
that lack of access to clean water in many parts of the world causes great
suffering in humanitarian, social, environmental and economic terms, and
seriously undermines global development goals. It is estimated that
approximately 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6
billion do not have access to adequate sanitation", according to Minna LeVine,
CTC, FreshWaterAlert™ tourism and travel campaign coordinator. "Water is not
just an environmental issue -- it is a poverty and development issue, an
economic issue and, therefore, a tourism and travel business issue", Ms. LeVine
adds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a global strategy towards
preventing water-borne diseases. "Polluted drinking water will kill around 1.6
million people this year unless governments make a concerted effort to clean up
their supplies. More than 4,000 people die every day from water-borne diseases,
and the death toll is not confined to developing nations. It's a problem
plaguing all countries, developed and undeveloped", according to Dr James
Bertram, coordinator of WHO's Water, Sanitation and Health Programme.
FreshWaterAlert™ is a global call to action, encouraging business leaders
of the tourism and travel industry to work more actively with the local and
international community, through initiatives such as the FreshWaterAlert™. “We
are pleased that business leaders have taken the initiative and are urging
Governments to take seriously this emerging crisis,” said Georg Kell, Executive
Director of the United Nations Global Compact. “This also represents an appeal
for partnership, and in this way underscores the fact that today’s global
problems demand collective and coordinated action.” Contact: FreshWaterAlert.org, Tourism and Travel Awareness Program
Coordinator, tanews@comcast.net. For campaign
information, go to www.FreshWaterAlert.org
References:
World Water Reference
Water and Tourism
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