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Head of the Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD), Dr Nazia M. Habib invited to speak at the 66th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa

Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius 26th-28th July 2023, Dr Habib was invited by the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, and Minister of Tourism Republic of Mauritius, and by the Chairperson of the Regional Commission for Africa (CAF), Minister of Tourism for the Republic of Côte d´Ivoire, and by the Secretary-General of UNWTO to speak at the ministerial session ‘Rethinking Tourism for Africa: Global Challenges’.

UNWTO states: “We are at a crucial junction, where global challenges like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and unsustainable resource exploitation compel us to rethink our approach to tourism”. This session will serve as a platform for strategic planning, fostering sustainable and resilient solutions that safeguard biodiversity and are consistent with international climate objectives and tourism industry growth. The session will delve into critical topics namely climate crisis management, building resilience, integrating health and safety measures, strategizing to attract sustainable finance, and reshaping Africa's image in the global tourism landscape.

Dr Habib is the only academic among the Ministers from Ghana, Algeria, Zambia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo to address the assembly on topics linked with how to improve decision making in the face of complexities, uncertainty and inequalities. She will bring deep insights from academia and introduce new methodological innovations on how we need to look beyond just the numbers and rethink how tourism works. Her research looks at how each sector can deliver on its unique potential to transform lives, drive sustainable growth and provide opportunity everywhere by including deep and dynamic systems level understanding with the political economic understanding of the state, society and business.

Dr Habib’s research in 2022-23 has delivered outcomes that will influence over 33 tourism dependent economies to attract sustainable finance to protect their youth and nature. To find more information on this ongoing research with the Commonwealth click here: Research Impact: Designing a financial system for Small Island Developing States | Department of Land Economy (cam.ac.uk). She will contribute to the outcomes of the "Rethinking Tourism for Africa: Global Challenges" session. 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Vic Davies, CRSD Administrator, vd342@cam.ac.uk