Turkey, 'Home for Tolerance', 'Open for Everyone'

By Zafer Urey

"Turkey, Open For Everyone" is the main slogan to be used in 2008 to promote tourism in Turkey according to information in recent Turkish newspapers. Following Istanbul's lead as a cultural capital in Europe in 2010, Turkish government, the mayor of Izmir and Izmir Chamber of Commerce is busy promoting Izmir's candidacy for EXPO 2015. Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, has world class accomodation facilities to suit the needs of any visitor to the area. Most holiday resorts are a short drive away from the city center. There is much to see in the city center as well. Kizlaragasi Han is an historic marketplace easily accessible from Kemeralti business district. The han is a major tourist attraction with a similar atmosphere to Istanbul's covered bazaar.

Latest examples of promotional posters are designed to convey 'messages' of tolerance and harmony. This land of wisdom has been the cradle of different religions, races and nations that have been living in harmony and tolerance. Plenty of churches and synagogues have found home in Anatolia. Generations raised in tolerance achieved to maintain those temples and works of art inherited by the ancient hosts of this land.

View Turkey 2008 posters

View Photos of Kizlaragasi Han, Izmir

Izmir, Official Candidate City of EXPO 2015

United Nations Global Code of Ethics in Tourism

Background

The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) is a comprehensive set of principles whose purpose is to guide stakeholders in tourism development: central and local governments, local communities, the tourism industry and its professionals, as well as visitors, both international and domestic.

The Code was called for in a resolution of the UNWTO General Assembly meeting in Istanbul in 1997. Over the following two years, a special committee for the preparation of the Global Code of Ethics was formed and a draft document was prepared by the Secretary-General and the legal adviser to UNWTO in consultation with UNWTO Business Council, UNWTO's Regional Commissions, and the UNWTO Executive Council.

The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development meeting in New York in April, 1999 endorsed the concept of the Code and requested UNWTO to seek further input from the private sector, non-governmental organizations and labour organizations. Written comments on the code were received from more than 70 UNWTO Member States and other entities. The resulting 10 point Global Code of Ethics for Tourism - the culmination of an extensive consultative process- was approved unanimously by the UNWTO General Assembly meeting in Santiago in October 1999.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in its substantive session of July 2001, adopted a draft resolution on the Code of Ethics and called on the UN General Assembly to give recognition to the Code. The official recognition by the UN General Assembly to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism came on 21 December 2001, through its resolution A/RES/56/212, by which it further encouraged the World Tourism Organization to promote an effective follow-up of the Code.

"The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. It draws inspiration from many similar declarations and industry codes that have come before and it adds new thinking that reflects our changing society at the beginning of the 21st century.

With international tourism forecast to nearly triple in volume over the next 20 years, members of the World Tourism Organization believe that the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is needed to help minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for residents of tourism destinations.

The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is intended to be a living document. Read it. Circulate it widely. Participate in its implementation. Only with your cooperation can we safeguard the future of the tourism industry and expand the sector's contribution to economic prosperity, peace and understanding among all the nations of the world."

Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization



ARTICLE 1

Tourism's contribution to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies

1. The understanding and promotion of the ethical values common to humanity, with an attitude of tolerance and respect for the diversity of religious, philosophical and moral beliefs, are both the foundation and the consequence of responsible tourism; stakeholders in tourism development and tourists themselves should observe the social and cultural traditions and practices of all peoples, including those of minorities and indigenous peoples and to recognize their worth;

2. Tourism activities should be conducted in harmony with the attributes and traditions of the host regions and countries and in respect for their laws, practices and customs;

3. The host communities, on the one hand, and local professionals, on the other, should acquaint themselves with and respect the tourists who visit them and find out about their lifestyles, tastes and expectations; the education and training imparted to professionals contribute to a hospitable welcome;

4. It is the task of the public authorities to provide protection for tourists and visitors and their belongings; they must pay particular attention to the safety of foreign tourists owing to the particular vulnerability they may have; they should facilitate the introduction of specific means of information, prevention, security, insurance and assistance consistent with their needs; any attacks, assaults, kidnappings or threats against tourists or workers in the tourism industry, as well as the wilful destruction of tourism facilities or of elements of cultural or natural heritage should be severely condemned and punished in accordance with their respective national laws;

5. When travelling, tourists and visitors should not commit any criminal act or any act considered criminal by the laws of the country visited and abstain from any conduct felt to be offensive or injurious by the local populations, or likely to damage the local environment; they should refrain from all trafficking in illicit drugs, arms, antiques, protected species and products and substances that are dangerous or prohibited by national regulations;

6. Tourists and visitors have the responsibility to acquaint themselves, even before their departure, with the characteristics of the countries they are preparing to visit; they must be aware of the health and security risks inherent in any travel outside their usual environment and behave in such a way as to minimize those risks.


ARTICLE 5

Tourism, a beneficial activity for host countries and communities


1. Local populations should be associated with tourism activities and share equitably in the economic, social and cultural benefits they generate, and particularly in the creation of direct and indirect jobs resulting from them;

2. Tourism policies should be applied in such a way as to help to raise the standard of living of the populations of the regions visited and meet their needs; the planning and architectural approach to and operation of tourism resorts and accommodation should aim to integrate them, to the extent possible, in the local economic and social fabric; where skills are equal, priority should be given to local manpower;

3. Special attention should be paid to the specific problems of coastal areas and island territories and to vulnerable rural or mountain regions, for which tourism often represents a rare opportunity for development in the face of the decline of traditional economic activities;

4. Tourism professionals, particularly investors, governed by the regulations laid down by the public authorities, should carry out studies of the impact of their development projects on the environment and natural surroundings; they should also deliver, with the greatest transparency and objectivity, information on their future programmes and their foreseeable repercussions and foster dialogue on their contents with the populations concerned;

Unesco - Cultural Heritage and Cultural Tourism

Unesco Action (Heritage Redefined)

This extension of the notion of heritage is expressed in two of the most recent major initiatives taken by UNESCO. The first of these concerns increased interest in the intangible heritage. The first Proclamation of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, on 18 May 2001, reveals the list of 19 modes of cultural expression, languages, music, ceremonies, rites or traditional expertise as well as cultural sites inseparable from the practice of these traditional forms. This list heralds a future international convention, currently under preparation. The parallel that could be established with the World Heritage Convention is obvious enough and not merely through the form of the List of Masterpieces and the various procedures related to it.

Once again, it is a question of identifying, protecting and enhancing an exceptional heritage, threatened with disappearance, particularly in the face of the uniformity frequently brought about by globalization.

The need for protecting this intangible heritage reflects the emergence of the same values: cultural diversity which is in no way less necessary than biodiversity, the deep-rootedness of the identity of communities, the resourcing of their creativity through contributions from the past, the role of a living memory in our methods of living together. In a context of essentially oral cultures where, according to the African parable, “when an old man dies, a library disappears”, these notions havebecome crucial. Furthermore, emphasis placed on intangible heritage contributes to establishing a more balanced view of cultural heritage which, for a long time, has focused on an exceptional masterpiece or on architectural perenniality.

Lastly, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, adopted in November 2001, attempts to respond to another danger. Part of the tangible heritage such as sunken vessels, cities and buildings, escapes the public’s notice, but is not protected from the appetites of those who plunder it or from the errors of amateur excavations. The States which will become parties to this Convention will promise to take measures and to cooperate for the benefit of heritage that is often situated outside their territorial waters. This legal instrument will prohibit the plundering and destruction of sunken vessels and archaeological sites. It provides for measures to ensure conservation in situ of cultural property located underwater for more than 100 years.

The coherent nature of UNESCO’s action can be more readily perceived with hindsight. It is intended to save the tangible and intangible heritage, often in an emergency situation, when it is threatened by conflict, natural disasters, the passage of time, economic expansion and mere human negligence. It does so by promoting solidarity, educating, disseminating expertise and training and creating awareness. But what also matters is to identify the heritage, to give it a meaning which is perhaps to reflect human diversity and solidarity and to nurture our future through our common past. Acting on things, people and ideas: in addition to a half-century marked by an abundance of upheavals, this task has proved more ambitious but also more necessary than anything that UNESCO’s founders could ever have imagined.


Tourism can provide an appreciable means of communication and dialogue between individuals and civilizations, as well as an economic activity and a means of presenting and enhancing the heritage.


Unesco and Cultural Tourism

That is why UNESCO’s endeavours are aimed essentially at helping Member States to devise cultural tourism policies which can sustain cultural pluralism and preserve cultural diversity as well as the authenticity of the living and monumental heritage. Such policies are also aimed at encouraging greater awareness of cultures, combating cultural prejudice and contributing to development and the fight against poverty.

The policies and activities devised or put forward by UNESCO in favour of cultural tourism comply with the principles of the 1970 International Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Culturaland Natural Heritage. Such activities are an integral part of major international initiatives which – as in the case of the Action Plan of the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development (Stockholm, 1998), the United Nations Year for Dialogue Among Civilizations (2001), the Action Plan of UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, and the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage (2002) – have so far contributed to defining the major lines of emphasis for action on the part of the international community in this field.

As regards initiatives aimed at information and training, UNESCO has organized conferences and seminars at the request of States and in cooperation with public or private partners and the United Nations system (e.g. the World Tourism Organization). The outcome of these meetings may serve as guidance to decision-makers in operational, educational, fiscal and normative terms. Networks of specialists have been established in the wake of these meetings at regional and international level, as in the case of the UNESCO Chairs Network in cultural tourism. The most recent seminars have taken place in Asunción (Paraguay), in Siem Reap/Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Damascus (Syria) and Bruges (Belgium). All these meetings resulted in the preparation of studies and the making of practical decisions in terms of standards, training and higher education, and the creation of ecotourism sites.

UNESCO publishes or supports the publication of texts disseminated among Member States on questions related to cultural tourism and specific study files.

Charter of the United Nations

We the Peoples of the United Nations ...United for a Better World


PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,


AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS
Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.


INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.

Amendments to Articles 23, 27 and 61 of the Charter were adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 1963 and came into force on 31 August 1965. A further amendment to Article 61 was adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 1971, and came into force on 24 September 1973. An amendment to Article 109, adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 1965, came into force on 12 June 1968.

The amendment to Article 23 enlarges the membership of the Security Council from eleven to fifteen. The amended Article 27 provides that decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members (formerly seven) and on all other matters by an affirmative vote of nine members (formerly seven), including the concurring votes of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

The amendment to Article 61, which entered into force on 31 August 1965, enlarged the membership of the Economic and Social Council from eighteen to twenty-seven. The subsequent amendment to that Article, which entered into force on 24 September 1973, further increased the membership of the Council from twenty-seven to fifty-four.

The amendment to Article 109, which relates to the first paragraph of that Article, provides that a General Conference of Member States for the purpose of reviewing the Charter may be held at a date and place to be fixed by a two-thirds vote of the members of the General Assembly and by a vote of any nine members (formerly seven) of the Security Council. Paragraph 3 of Article 109, which deals with the consideration of a possible review conference during the tenth regular session of the General Assembly, has been retained in its original form in its reference to a "vote, of any seven members of the Security Council", the paragraph having been acted upon in 1955 by the General Assembly, at its tenth regular session, and by the Security Council.

Peace and Security Through Disarmament (United Nations)

Terrorism and Disarmament

The role of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

The Secretary-General, in his address to the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security held in Madrid in March 2005, declared that terrorism is a threat to all States and to all peoples and that the United Nations must be at the forefront in fighting against it. In its Outcome Document, adopted 13 September 2005, the 2005 World Summit condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and acknowledged the important role played by the United Nations in combating it. The World Summit also stressed the vital contribution of regional and bilateral cooperation, particularly at the practical levels of law enforcement cooperation and technical exchange.

The Outcome Document went on to urge the United Nations, to assist States in building national and regional capacity to combat terrorism and invited the Secretary-General to submit proposals to the General Assembly and the Security Council to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to assist States in combating terrorism and to enhance the coordination of United Nations activities in this regard.

The basic elements of a comprehensive United Nations counter-terrorism strategy that the Secretary-General first set out in his statement to the Madrid Summit mentioned above were reflected in the Outcome document. These basic elements, also known as the "five D's" are:

to dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism as a tactic to achieve their goals;

to deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks;
to deter States from supporting terrorists;
to develop State capacity to prevent terrorism; and
to defend human rights in the struggle against terrorism.

Two of those elements are directly relevant to the work of DDA (United Nations Department of Disarmament Affairs), namely, denying terrorists the means to carry out their attacks; and developing States' capacity to prevent terrorism. Both of these elements are directly addressed through the activities of the Department.

DDA provides substantive support to the work of the Committee established pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). In this resolution, the Security Council decided that all States shall refrain from providing any form of support to non-state actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery, and required all States to adopt and enforce appropriate effective laws to this effect. The resolution also required them to establish various types of domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of such weapons. In this connection, DDA supports all aspects of the work of the experts serving the 1540 Committee; maintains the Committee's website; and also supports the work of the Committee and its experts in facilitating the provision of technical assistance to Member States, where required, for the effective implementation of UNSC resolution 1540.

DDA also promotes the universalization of a series of international and regional instruments in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation all of which have a direct bearing on many aspects of the terrorist threat. DDA therefore encourages States to implement their obligations under those instruments and assists them in capacity-building across a broad range of issues, including small arms and light weapons, through projects implemented by its three Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.