STSC Network
192 Intergovernmental organization
It is recommended that the STSC be an independent legal entity housed in an intergovernmental agency with a commitment and track record on sustainable tourism development, preferably part of the UN family. Such organizations with their global remit and institutional arrangements could provide the STSC with valuable ‘in kind’ support, such as office space, equipment, information technology, administrative, financial, legal and support services. This would help to reduce operational costs of the STSC and free up funds to carry out core business activities. The financial support expected in kind from the organization housing the STSC has been valued at less than $100,000 per annum, although the actual cost to the organization would be considerably lower. Since the study recommends outsourcing accreditation (see also Chapter 5), this will help to reduce the commitment that any third-party institution housing the STSC would assume.
The question of which UN agency is most appropriate remains, and requires further consultation of these proposals amongst different key institutions. Four institutions were directly mentioned in the consultation: WTO, UNEP, UNESCO and IUCN. The WTO is a key player in supporting sustainable tourism and it would be a feasible agency to house STSC if this is not going to undermine the participation of tourism certification programs based in countries that are not WTO members. UNEP has a sustainable tourism remit but it is smaller. UNESCO projects by their very nature incorporate aspects of sustainability, yet it is an organization without a specific sustainable development and tourism mandate. IUCN, with its focus on conservation would be appropriate for tourism occurring in protected landscapes, but not necessarily for broader scale tourism. The STSC-Network phase will allow for different intergovernmental agencies to consider their degree of involvement in the STSC and whether housing the association and accreditation phases would be possible.
STSC housed independently
The alternative scenario is that the STSC is set up as an independent organization. The advantages are added independence from institutional arrangements and potentially attracting a wider range of donor funding sources and private sector sponsorship. The two primary disadvantages are higher operating costs from rent, utilities, and professional services and losing out on the potential credibility boost given by the support of an intergovernmental agency.
Structure
The STSC-Association will be governed by an international board whose policies are implemented by the secretariat. The secretariat serves the membership, which elects the board. The regional initiatives that played a role in the STSC-Network stage should retain a role in the STSC-Association phase, depending upon their interest and available funding. Committees will be established to develop guidelines and marketing activities. See Figure 6.2 for a diagram of the STSC-Association.
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1. STSC International Board elected by the membership and representing four chambers (economic, social, environmental, and intergovernmental). Its key role will be to oversee the STSC-Association’s activities, provide fiduciary oversight, and oversee the establishment of a legal framework to operate the STSC-Association as a not-for-profit legal entity.
2. STSC secretariat will be managed by an Executive Director with a small team (4.5 additional staff) to provide year round support and administration to the Board and its committees, regional networks, and membership. The secretariat will take on a global marketing role, with the aim of increasing awareness of and participation in tourism certification in terms of the tourism industry, as well as raise the profile of certification amongst consumers. The STSC secretariat will maintain the electronic/internet-based discussion network established earlier in the STSC-Network stage to encourage ongoing dialogue between regions and stakeholders and will develop and deliver training programs to new and existing certification programs and assessors.
3. Regional networks may evolve into regional associations, with membership criteria, if desirable. These associations will disseminate information provided by the global secretariat and conduct regionally relevant/focused training activities on behalf of the secretariat. The regional associations will have the responsibility of gathering the self- assessments of individual certification programs and reporting to the STSC global secretariat. The regional networks will give input into the STSC standards and accreditation criteria though the Technical Committee. The regional groups may be as formal or informal as they desire, pending funding. The STSC-Association will not fund the regional networks/associations unless a specific project is requested and funded by the Board.
• Membership of the STSC-Association will be open to those certification programs that carry out a self-assessment against a set of agreed criteria and are deemed to meet these criteria by the regional association and global secretariat and have committed in writing to pursuing accreditation when the time comes. As above, membership will be open to other organizations and individuals that demonstrate a commitment to the STSC principles. It will be necessary to establish a fee for participation (see below on Finance of the association). It is projected that the association’s membership will begin with 100 members and grow to at least 300 members after seven years. The membership will continue to grow as the association evolves to the accreditation level.
• The Technical Committee will evolve from the Technical Committee at the network stage and will be appointed by the Board. The overall role of the committee will be to develop the STSC standard and accreditation criteria. The Technical Committee will gather multi-stakeholder input and make a final recommendation to the Board.
• Other committees, such as a Marketing Committee and Executive and Finance Committees will be established by the Board. The Marketing Committee will play an important role in guiding the organization in leveraging its resources to raise awareness for the STSC concept. The Executive and Financial Committees are internal board committees to help manage the organization between full board meetings and the association’s finances, respectively. Other committees and working groups may be established on an ad hoc basis by the Board.
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Figure 6.2. STSC-Association organizational chart