MSGR. MONNI PARTICIPATES IN TWO MEETINGS IN BRAZIL

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2004 (VIS) - Msgr. Piero Monni, permanent observer of the Holy See to the World Tourism Organization, is participating in the 74th session of the executive council of the same organization and in the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development on December 1-4 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

  According to a communique published by the office of the permanent observer to the World Tourism Organization, during the meetings there will be a seminar on the "Prevention of the sexual exploitation of children in tourism," a phenomenon "which unfortunately continues to be an issue of actuality" and which requires "specific policies, capable of eliminating the causes of this widespread deviation."

  During the executive council's meeting, the following questions will be discussed: the analysis of topics related to the transformation of the organization into a specialized institution of the United Nations, the operative developments promoted by the committee on ethics in tourism, and the report on the initiatives that have been implemented in this field in the ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty) Project.

  In his speeches, Msgr. Monni will highlight the importance of the phenomenon of tourism as an instrument of dialogue, peace and well-being.  In addition, he will speak about the need to confront the widespread phenomenon of sex tourism and the Holy See's desire to underscore the good qualities and formative aspects of tourism.
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