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6. Please find the recent press release from UNWTO  

http://www2.unwto.org/press-release/2017-01-19/unwto-awards-recognize-commitment-tourism-sector-sustainable-approaches

ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) Wins Top United Nations Award for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism, First Ever Award for India in NGO Sector

 
ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (http://www.ecovillage.org.in/) has been conferred the top United Nations Award for having innovative initiatives of Sustainable Tourism  in India, the first time India has ever won the recognition in the Non-Governmental Organizations Sector

Govardhan Eco Village walked away with the top honours at the annual United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism presented on January 18, 2017 in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
 
In its biggest international recognition to date, Govardhan Eco Village won the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations, the highest honour given to NGOs for shaping global tourism through sustainable innovative initiatives.

Govardhan Eco Village received the award for its path-breaking initiative of 'Eco Tourism as a catalyst for Rural Development' in Wada, Maharashtra. The project has successfully linked the Tourism initiatives at GEV with providing a sustainable life to the local tribal communities in the villages, thereby creating a model for empowerment and development of the local tribal people in the area. 

Last year, Samrakshak Samuha Nepal (SASANE) - Nepal had won the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organization for its Sisterhood of Survivors (SOS) Programme. Previous winners in the category include initiatives from Amsterdam, Malaysia, Austria, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Chile and Portugal.

The Govardhan Eco Village initiative had earlier won several International and National Awards including the International Green World Award in Korea, International Zero Waste Award in UK, International Built Environment Award in UK, Aqua Excellence Award for Sustainability initiatives in Social Sector, Skoch Renaissance and Platinum Award for Water Conservation etc.

“The UNWTO Awards reflect the efforts done worldwide by the tourism community to foster innovation and the need of the sector to advance towards a more sustainable and responsible future,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “In the last decade the Awards have shown the sector’s high commitment to this goal, which this year has a special meaning as we celebrate the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017,” he added.

The Awards recognize excellence and innovation in tourism in four categories: 1) Public Policy and Governance, 2) Enterprises, 3) Non-Governmental Organizations and 4) Research and Technology.

Govardhan Eco Village faced tough competition from other international contenders in the Non-Governmental Organizations category.The 12 finalists were selected among 139 applicants from 55 countries. Initiatives from Belgium, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain compile the list of final candidatures.The winners were announced on 18 January 2017 at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, organized for the fourth consecutive year in collaboration with Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR / IFEMA).

"Its our honor and privilege to received this award on behalf of land of India and we would like to express our gratitude to UNWTO for giving this opportunity to share this message of sustainability on a larger scale especially in this year which is celeberated as the year of sustainable tourism," said Shri Gauranga Das, Director, Govardhan Eco Village. He expressed his gratitude to HDG Srila Prabhupada, Founder of ISKCON, Radhanath Swami, Founder of Govardhan Eco Village, Sanat Kumar Prabhu, Head of Rural Developmemt Project in GEV, Chitra Vishvanath and to the entire community of ISKCON. He also expressed his special gratitude to Shri Narendra Modiji, Prime Minister of India and to the Tourism Ministry, Government of India."We hope and pray that we will be able to utilise this honor to spread the message of peace, harmony and sustainability more and more" he added.

The awarded projects at the UNWTO Awards this year represent some of the best examples of tourism leaders from around the world which through their exceptional initiatives have placed themselves at the forefront of the sector.

The awards ceremony was held at the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR), in Madrid. The UNWTO Awards Ceremony was preceded by the UNWTO Awards Forum Ceremony on 16 January 2017. The Forum showcased the projects of winners of the UNWTO Awards in the different categories. It also included keynote speech, presentations and panel discussions for all the 4 categories of Awards. Shri Gauranga Das was one of the speakers and panelists at a UNWTO Awards Forum session, related to Innovation and Excellence in Tourism in NGOs category ,'

The UNWTO has 157 countries as its member-states besides 6 associate members and over 500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

Thanking You.