Mzembi inches closer to UNWTO top post
THE Executive Council of the African Union — a gathering of the continent’s foreign affairs ministers — yesterday endorsed Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Dr Walter Mzembi as the continent’s sole candidate for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Secretary-General’s post.
The endorsement comes two days after the AU Committee on Candidature and International Deployment accepted Dr Mzembi’s application for approval as the continent’s candidate. No other candidate challenged him, hence the recommendation to the Executive Council.
The Executive Council has now recommended African leaders to approve the endorsement at the ongoing AU Heads of State and Government Summit here. If Heads of State assent, the continent will be legally bound to rally behind Dr Mzembi who also chairs the African Commission on Tourism of the UNWTO.
“The Executive Council takes note of the Ministerial Committee of African Candidates within the international system and approves election to the post of Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation, the selection process of which starts October 2016, the candidature of Dr Eng Walter Mzembi of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” reads a statement released yesterday afternoon.
The UNWTO is the world’s biggest tourism organisation under United Nations statutes, and Dr Mzembi seeks to replace incumbent Secretary General Dr Taleb Rifai whose term expires in 2017. The nomination court sits in Egypt in October and the election will be held in May 2017 in Madrid, Spain. Sadc has already endorsed Dr Mzembi’s candidature.