The executive council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has expressed its continued support for secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili.
Meeting in Madrid, members nominated him to continue leading the agency for four more years.
At the end of the 113th session of the executive council, held as a hybrid event in Spanish capital, members voted in person and in secret for their choice of leader for 2022-2025. Incumbent Pololikashvili won 76 per cent of the votes in a process where the kingdom of Bahrain also put forward a candidate for the position, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa.
Her excellency congratulated Pololikashvili on his win and the government of Bahrain expressed its support for UNWTO. Pololikashvili had based his campaign for re-election both on the progressive institutional and policy reforms undertaken during his first term, and on his clear leadership of global tourism throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The recommendation will be carried forward to the 24th session of the UNWTO general assembly, due to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, towards the end of the year. In Madrid, both the president of the government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and king Felipe VI expressed their support for UNWTO and its leadership.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili took office in January 2018. Seeking to optimize the efficiency of the Organization, the Secretary-General has introduced a new leadership structure consisting of a Deputy Secretary-General and two Executive Directors, each one overseeing key structural areas and departments of the Organisation, for increased efficiency in achieving UNWTO’s goals, including adding value to members, increasing membership and serving the tourism sector as a whole.
Photo Credit: UNWTO
