ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
SDGs
- Publication/report
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
Intended Audience
“The public and private stakeholders in tourism development should cooperate in the implementation of these principles and monitor their effective application”
- United Nations World Tourism Organization
2001
“As a fundamental frame of reference for responsible and sustainable tourism, the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) is a comprehensive set of principles designed to guide key-players in tourism development. Addressed to governments, the travel industry, communities and tourists alike, it aims to help maximise the sector’s benefits while minimising its potentially negative impact on the environment, cultural heritage and societies across the globe.
Adopted in 1999 by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization, its acknowledgement by the United Nations two years later expressly encouraged UNWTO to promote the effective follow-up of its provisions. Although not legally binding, the Code features a voluntary implementation mechanism through its recognition of the role of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE), to which stakeholders may refer matters concerning the application and interpretation of the document.
The Code’s 10 principles amply cover the economic, social, cultural and environmental components of travel and tourism.”
“We, Members of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), representatives of the world tourism industry, delegates of States, territories, enterprises, institutions and bodies that are gathered for the General Assembly at Santiago, Chile on this first day of October 1999… affirm the right to tourism and the freedom of tourist movements, state our wish to promote an equitable, responsible and sustainable world tourism order, whose benefits will be shared by all sectors of society in the context of an open and liberalized international economy, and solemnly adopt to these ends the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.”
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SDGs LINKAGES
Implementing the resource supports a number of SDGs and targets. Sustainable tourism is the subject of a particular SDG (SDG 8.9, Promote beneficial and sustainable tourism), which has a wide range of benefits, helping to address poverty (SDG 1), education (SDG 4), employment (SDG 8), inclusion and reduced inequalities (SDG 10), sustainable use of resources (SDGs 6, 7, 12 and 13), and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage (SDGs 11, 14, 15). Effective policies and partnerships for sustainable development support SDGs 16 and 17.
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of educational programmes that explore poverty as a multidimensional and complex issue, and that empower people to act to address extreme poverty.
- Number of educational programmes that are targeted towards people living in extreme poverty.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those living in extreme poverty, can access services.
- Promotion of poverty-reducing programmes, locally and worldwide, focussed on those in extreme poverty.
- Proactive support for economically disadvantaged and marginalized people in supply chains.
- Pro-poor decisions incorporated into all forms of operations, including financial decisions.
- Transparency in reporting on the supply chain, incorporating actions to address extreme poverty locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of programmes drawing on collections (educational, awareness-raising, research, partnerships) that explore poverty as a multidimensional and complex issue, and that empower people to act to address poverty in all its forms.
- Number of educational programmes that are targeted towards people living in poverty.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those living in poverty, can access services.
- Collections development to support such programmes.
- Promotion of poverty-reducing programmes, locally and worldwide.
- Proactive support for economically disadvantaged and marginalized people in supply chains.
- Pro-poor decisions incorporated into all forms of operations, including financial decisions.
- Transparency in reporting on the supply chain, incorporating actions to address poverty locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of policies and policy frameworks that support targeted, accelerated investment to eradicate poverty.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
- Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
- Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
- Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
- Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
- Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
- Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
- Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
- Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of sex or gender.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of sex or gender.
- Numbers and proportions of girls, women and gender-diverse people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of girls, women and gender-diverse people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of girls, women and gender-diverse people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with people of different sex and gender.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development, to ensure collections can be used as a basis for programmes that aim to raise awareness of, and reduce, all forms of violence against women and girls.
- Number of educational, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that aim to reduce, prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of women included in programmes, partnerships and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions at:
i. foundation/entry levels
ii. intermediate levels
iii. senior levels, including management, leadership and decision-making.
- Number and proportion of women included in programmes, partnerships and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions at:
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of policies relating to collections and collections-based institutions that incorporate gender perspectives to promote gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of pollutants, and reduction in pollutants, to water systems.
- Plans in place for the identification, reduction, replacement and recycling of hazardous chemical and materials, to prevent their release into water systems, with plans to eliminate their use as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, and partnerships relating to water-related ecosystems drawing on collections and collections-based institutions in place, to support protection of these as effective nature-based solutions and ecosystem services.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources.
- Date to achieve net zero, and milestones towards that date.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Reduction in energy use.
- Upgrade of old equipment to more efficient equipment.
- Uptake of renewable sources of energy.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Economic value added to the local economy.
- Number of jobs created, notably for marginalized and under-represented groups.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development-oriented policies in place for the range of activities, or development-oriented considerations are included in other policies.
- Number of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises supported.
- Number and proportion of formalised arrangements with micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
- Total value of financial services or financial support provided to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place to increase resource efficiency, reduce consumption, and to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Increase in number of people in full and productive employment relating to collections, through job creation and recruitment.
- Increase in proportion of existing staff working with collections in productive employment.
- Increase in number of men, women, young people and persons with disabilities in development and training programmes drawing on collections that support them in employment.
- Removal of pay disparities by gender and/or other status for those working with collections.
- Policies and plans in place to ensure that all suppliers and others in the supply chain are in decent and productive work.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Policies and plans in place to ensure that forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour are completely eliminated from throughout the supply chain.
- Number of collections development, educational and awareness-raising, and research programmes and partnerships aimed at eradicating forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportions of staff working with collections in safe and secure working environments.
- Number of accidents and other health and safety incidents reported.
- Training and support provided for staff to ensure their wellbeing, health and safety.
- Education, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that address labour rights, notably those of migrant workers and others in precarious employment.
- Reduction of numbers and proportions of staff on short-term or zero-hours contracts.
- Fair pay policies and procedures in place to prevent exploitation.
- Procurement policies that ensure that collecting institutions make use of people who are in decent employment, and that avoid exploitation throughout the supply chain.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of jobs created or supported that relate to sustainable tourism drawing on local products (e.g. craft producers).
- Develop and implement plans to reduce and remove negative impacts of tourism.
- Numbers of activities and/or products drawing on local culture.
- Value to artisans and source communities of activities and products drawing on local culture.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of products and services developed, either alone or in partnership, that contribute to the green economy in some way.
- Number of jobs created, and working hours spent, that contribute to the green economy.
- Number of partnerships that produce products and services that add value to the economy, and that have positive social and environmental impacts.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of collections facilities that make efficient use of resources, with an ongoing drive for efficiencies and reductions in energy use and waste of all forms.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities that use clean and environmentally sound technologies, including climate-friendly energy sources and materials, with an ongoing commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste of all forms.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities that adopt and/or prioritise collections-related processes and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste of all forms.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Policies in place for fair pay in line with national recommendations.
- Policies in place to ensure equal pay for equal value.
- Policies in place, and reporting mechanisms in place, to ensure transparent information on inequality within organisations, and to address inequality in income.
- Policies in place to actively support markets and market access for low-income groups and populations, at any point in the value chain.
- Targeted programmes to support those on lowest incomes, and zero income.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of discriminatory policies and practices, with clear plans to address these, to ensure equal opportunity for all and reduce inequalities of outcome.
- Collections development to uphold and promote legislation and anti-discriminatory perspectives, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Education and participatory programmes that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Research that supports anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Participation in partnerships that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of policies that proactively address equality issues relating to fiscal, wage and social protection considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically.
- Plans in place for collections-based institutions to facilitate the incorporation of communities’ views into local planning and town management processes in a regular way.
- Plans in place for collections-based institutions to facilitate the incorporation of minorities’ views into local planning and town management processes in a regular way.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
- Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
- Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place to reduce negative impacts on air quality, and volume and forms of waste.
- Plans in place to eliminate waste of all forms as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups, notably women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
- Increases in numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups.
- Measures taken to remove barriers to access green and public spaces.
- Extent of green space provided by collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Considerations of regional economic, social and environmental trends and risks incorporated into collecting institutions’ planning.
- Participation in local and regional planning, to foster access to services, cultural participation, prevent exclusion, and support equitable urbanisation.
- Ensure data collection and metrics can be useful for planning in conjunction with other sectors and between urban and rural areas.
- Number of outreach and other activities that promote awareness and accessibility of collecting institutions in urban and rural areas, and that promote awareness of regional development plans and risks, with opportunities for people and communities to input into such plans.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030a.
- Disaster Risk Reduction strategies and plans in place, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, to ensure collecting institutions and collections are factored into planning, and contribute effectively to Disaster Risk Reduction.
- Collections-based institutions included in local plans for social inclusion, resource use, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Reduction of material footprint in terms of reductions in consumption of biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and non-metal ores.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantities, and reduction in quantities, of food waste, both in terms of waste going for treatment, and waste going to landfill or being otherwise discarded into the environment.
- Policies and plans in place to reduce and eliminate food waste as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantities, and reduction in quantities, of chemicals of all kinds, including chemicals used in maintenance of collections facilities, and chemicals used in care and preparation of collections, and all wastes throughout their life cycle, reducing release to air, water and soil.
- Plans in place to eliminate the use and release of hazardous chemicals and harmful wastes of all kinds into the natural environment as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantity and reductions in quantity of waste of all kinds, including avoidance/prevention of waste production, reuse, and recycling. Quantity of material recycled in comparison with quantity sent to landfill. Increases in recycling rate in comparison with landfill.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Clear visions, strategies and plans in place for all aspects of sustainability – environmental, social and economic (people, planet, prosperity)- across all areas of activity.
- Visions, strategies and plans relating to sustainability to be publicly available and incorporated into planning documents.
- Commitments to be in line with local, regional, national and/or international targets and ambitions.
- Incorporation of sustainability into reporting for funders and other stakeholders, including the public. Reporting to include commitments and progress towards targets.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment.
- Extent to which global citizenship education and education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in formal, informal and non-formal education programmes and activities drawing on and related to collections.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantitative and qualitative metrics identified, collected and reported for evaluating performance of tourism in terms of social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts for:
-jobs
-promotion of local culture
-local and related products
-positive social and environmental benefits
-reduction of negative impacts of tourism, e.g. climate impacts, negative social and environmental impacts.
- Quantitative and qualitative metrics identified, collected and reported for evaluating performance of tourism in terms of social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts for:
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place for near and longer term to withstand and actively adapt to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place to enhance positive contributions to addressing climate change through use of collections. Plans in place to ensure collections, collections institutions and broader society can adapt effectively to climate change.
- Plans in place for effective education and awareness raising on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
- Plans in place to reduce negative contributions of collections-related functions, e.g. measuring greenhouse emissions with plans and targets in place to reduce them.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collections-related programmes, for example research and education, that aim to reduce marine pollution.
- Quantity, and reduction, of waste of all sorts, with plans in place to eliminate waste of all sorts as soon as possible.
- Quantity, and reduction, of plastic waste, with plans in place to eliminate the production and release of plastic waste as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of marine and coastal areas in a good ecological condition.
- Numbers of educational and awareness-raising programmes, research activities, and partnerships drawing on collections aiming to support protection of marine and coastal areas.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of activities that support sustainable tourism relating to Small Island developing States and least developed countries.
- Economic benefits by value to Small Island Developing States and least developed countries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of terrestrial and inland freshwater systems in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, educational programmes, collections development, research and partnerships relating to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems drawing on collections in place.
- Policies relating to collections and their use aligned with international agreements for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of forests in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to forests drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and effective functioning.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to mountain ecosystems and their biodiversity drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and effective functioning.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of habitats, notably endangered habitats, and species with favourable conservation status, with special reference to locally, nationally and globally endangered species.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to habitats and species drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and continued existence.
- Measures taken to enhance biodiversity value of green space associated with collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion and number of relevant plans, processes and strategies that incorporate ecosystem and biodiversity values, and their relationships with effective collections.
- Plans in place to ensure that development of collections facilities contributes to effective conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Revenue generated to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems.
- Direct financial support given to projects and organisations for conservation and/or sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development that addresses issues relating to child exploitation and violence.
- Number of educational, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that aim to reduce exploitation, trafficking and violence against children.
- Policies, plans and procedures in place to protect children from all forms of abuse, violence and exploitation.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
- Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
- Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
- Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
- Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, linking to SDGs and targets.
- Incorporation of policy considerations from outside the collections sector into policies of collections-based institutions, to facilitate partnerships and effectiveness.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships involving developing countries that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification and implementation of measures for sustainable development incorporating social and environmental considerations.
- Identification and implementation of both quantitative and qualitative measures of sustainable development.