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UNESCO-National Tourism Authority of Lao PDR Nam Ha Ecotourism Project is Awarded the 2001 United Nations Development Award
Steven Schipani
Chief Technical Advisor, UNESCO-NTA Lao Nam Ha Ecotourism Project
On 24 October the UNESCO-Lao PDR international project “Nam Ha Ecotourism: Integrated Planning for Culturally and Ecologically Sustainable Tourism Development through District and Local Community Management” was awarded the 2001 United Nations Development Award for the outstanding contribution the project team has made towards poverty alleviation in the Lao PDR. The National Tourism Authority of the Lao PDR is the project’s primary implementing agency, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of Information and Culture. Technical assistance and monitoring is provided by UNESCO’s Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific. The projects main donors are the Government of New Zealand and the International Finance Corporation. The awards focus on sustainable human development and poverty alleviation is especially relevant, as one of the Nam Ha Project’s main objectives is to develop an economically viable ecotourism development model that contributes to the conservation and protection of the Lao PDR’s unique cultural and natural heritage. Because this is the first community-based ecotourism project ever implemented in the Lao PDR, the creation of an equitable, economically viable model that also supports genuine conservation initiatives is of particular importance. The economic benefits that local people derive from the community based cultural and nature tours developed by the project team are a result of their direct involvement in the planning, development and management of such programs. Guides and community members trained in the principles of sustainable tourism development and heritage conservation form the critical mass of local ecotourism providers, vested in the protection of the resources that sustain their new-found profession. In addition, permit and management fees generated by the ecotourism programs support conservation activities in the Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area and also provide the Provincial Tourism Authority with financial resources to monitor the operations.
With vibrant traditional culture and stunning natural beauty, ecotourism development represents a tremendous opportunity that can be an important component of overall economic development and heritage conservation initiatives in the Lao PDR. To this end, UNESCO and the National Tourism Authority of the Lao PDR are presently exploring strategies to expand the Nam Ha Project and replicate its success on a wider scale. For more information on this innovative project, please visit our website at www.unescobkk.org/culture/namha
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Revised: October 31, 2005 .