Bangkok – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced an organizational partnership with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) in order to strengthen the bond and shared interests between the two organizations, particularly in the area of youth engagement.

Founded in 2009, the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, non-profit organisation, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peace building. The organisation convenes and implements development projects and conferences on grassroots peacebuilding, education, entrepreneurship, and youth leadership development. Its work alongside thousands of public and private sector partners delivers substantive outcomes in several global regions.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy: “Our two organizations are aligned in our mission in working with both the public and private sectors in creating greater acceptance of each other as humans, regardless of our age, race, religion or nationality. For PATA, we continually emphazise the importance of the travel and tourism industry’s impact on countries, communities and people in creating cross cultural understanding and empathy across borders. This partnership will help to enforce our commitment to youth engagement and to promote the idea that the industry is a meaningful driver for peace around the world.”

Participants at the Asia Pacific Youth & Sustainable Tourism Workshop in Bangkok in March 2018, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

As one of the first activities of the partnership, PATA and GPF, with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), organised the Asia Pacific Youth & Sustainable Tourism Workshop in March earlier this year at the UN Building in Bangkok, Thailand. Under the theme ‘Setting the Stage for Peace’, the half-day workshop took place in conjunction with the Global Peace Youth Exchange Thailand 2018 and brought together university students and representatives from the travel and tourism industry to examine how the industry can help in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

GPF Asia Pacific Regional Representative Mr. Jinsoo Kim stated, “Both organisations share the common belief that tourism plays a major role in peacebuilding. Moreover, peace and stability greatly impact the tourism industry. We are joined hand-in-hand working together towards sustainable peace and development. At the Global Peace Foundation, we are committed to developing collaborative strategies in the areas of education, youth leadership development, environmental sustainability, community-driven development, and conflict resolution through innovative response. Primarily, I am hopeful that we can work together to make great strides for the peaceful re-unification of the Korean Peninsula. This is a key focus for GPF.”

As both organisations recognise the importance of travel and tourism as a force for good in driving economic growth, creating jobs, improving social development and promoting peace, the partnership aims to highlight this message among young tourism professionals (YTPs) through empowering collaborations.

As part of this mission, PATA will be participating at the Global Peace Convention 2019 on March 1, 2019 in Seoul, Korea (ROK). The event is being organized in conjunction with the One Korea Global Campaign, an effort to build international support for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and to bolster Korean-led civil society initiatives toward the realization of unification. The campaign brings together global thought leaders and experts from governments and think tanks as well as leading geopolitical analysts, academics, non-profits, religious leaders, and figures from the world of music and culture, and aims to engage a broad base of civil society – especially youth – in support of a peaceful resolution.