Travel & tourism industry unite to do MASSIVE GOOD
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Bangkok, Thailand (Asia Pacific), Sept. 25, 2009 - Leading representatives of the Global Travel and Tourism Industry joined today, for the first time ever, to declare their support for a new ambitious global health initiative, MASSIVEGOOD. The project was created by the Millennium Foundation for Innovative Finance for Health, and will allow travellers to give a ‘micro-contribution’ every time they purchase travel services, which will go towards fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries. The initiative has the potential to raise up to $1 billion in additional funding for global health during its first four years of operation.
“We pledge, by supporting this initiative, to encourage our industry to help raise funds to treat the sick in the poorest of our world’s countries,” affirms the declaration signed by major travel industry representatives.
The announcement was made on the first day of the UN General Assembly, during a meeting of the Task Force for Innovative Finance for Health, spearheaded by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and World Bank President Robert Zoellick.
Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, representing the industry at the announcement, stated: “As the leaders of an industry that is central to the global economy, generating almost one out of every ten dollars spent in the world and employing 220 million workers, we recognize this responsibility.”
Leading representatives of the global travel and tourism industry joined in signing a declaration of principles committing their support to the Millennium Foundation and the launch of MASSIVEGOOD. Signatories included the World Travel and Tourism Council; Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport, which represent the leading Global Distribution Systems (GDS), managing the world’s airline reservation networks; leading online travel agent Opodo; American Express Business Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, as travel management supporters; Voyageurs du Monde as a leisure travel agent supporter; Mondial Assistance as Call Center partner and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria..
The initiative, baptized today as MASSIVEGOOD, will seek to raise additional needed funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, through a WHO-hosted organization, UNITAID.
“The biggest crisis the world is facing is the glaring inequalities in access to health care between the rich and the poor,” Dr. Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chairman of the Millennium Foundation, United Nations Under-Secretary and Special Advisor for Innovative Finance for Development, stated.
“The Millennium Foundation has been privileged to have such supportive and active partners in this endeavor, without which the project could never have had such overwhelming success,” added Dr. Bernard Salom
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