The ST-EP Foundation is a cornerstone of the ST-EP program, which was established in 2003 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The ST-EP name stands for Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty, and that tells a great deal about both the goals of the program generally and the work of the Foundation in particular.

ST-EP was created to harness the developmental power of tourism in the fight against world poverty. Its origins and activities are both intimately tied to the UN's Millennium Development Goals, which include the objective of halving extreme poverty by 2015. ST-EP is especially focused on people living on less than a dollar a day. The targets are the world's least developed countries, especially those in Africa, along with developing states in general.

A key theme of the Millennium Development Goals is the need for sustained action, as opposed to grand, immediate or sweeping schemes. "We will have time to reach the Millennium Development Goals, but only if we break with business as usual," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. "We cannot win overnight."

Therein lies the primary criterion of assessment for any ST-EP project: it must be sustainable. However economic sustainability is not enough by itself. ST-EP projects must also be socially and ecologically sustainable. Poor people should not have to compromise their culture or environment in order to earn a living. That principle reflects the Liberalization with a Human Face philosophy, a UNWTO concept that prioritizes poverty alleviation, sustainability and fair trade.

The potential of tourism as a source of fully sustainable development is greater than most people realize. 2006 marked a continued upward trend in the tourism industry. Indeed worldwide international tourist arrivals exceeded 842 million for the first time in history. Given that tourism represents over 70 per cent of service exports in least developed countries, it is uniquely positioned to deliver positive social change to those who need it the most.

The ST-EP program includes four main components. The first is a research base to identify linkages, principles and model applications. There is also an operating framework for promoting and developing incentives for good practice among companies, consumers and communities. Forums for sharing and exchanging information, ideas and plans are designed to bring together private, public and non-governmental stakeholders. Finally, there is the ST-EP Foundation which was originally concerned with attracting new, dedicated financing from business, philanthropic and government sources.

The UNWTO signed agreements with the Republic of Korea to establish the international headquarters of the ST-EP Foundation in Seoul. The ST-EP Foundation has been charged with planning and administering various ST-EP projects and events. The Foundation operates under the guidance of the ST-EP Board of Directors, which includes representatives from eight different countries as well as the Netherlands Development Organization, SNV.

ST-EP grew out of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. In 2003 at the UNWTO's General Assembly in Beijing, Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli of the United Nations World Tourism Organization was formally mandated to aggressively pursue the implementation of the ST-EP program. That resolution was unanimously passed by all member states and affiliate members. In 2005 the UNWTO's General Assembly in Dakar unanimously approved the ST-EP Foundation's Constitution, including the establishment of the eight-member Board of Directors, as well as the choice of Seoul for its headquarters.