Mzembi gets Egypt backing for UNWTO top post

Egypt has offered its support to Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Walter Mzembi’s candidature for the post of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary general.

Mzembi, who has been endorsed by the African Union (AU) as the African candidate for the powerful post, took his offensive to Egypt this week.

He took the opportunity to meet with and Egyptian official sits on the board that will received final nominations and elect a candidate for the post.

The Zimbabwean minister met Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry yesterday who assured him of his country’s full support.

“Egypt is committed and bound by the AU resolutions particularly on the candidature of Dr Mzembi. We want to assure him of our support,” said Shoukry in a statement released by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

Mzembi also met with Moushira Khattab, Egypt’s former Minister of Family and Population, who is vying for the post of director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and has also been endorsed by the AU, according to the ZTA.

Khattab chairs the UNWTO executive council, which is expected to sit as a nomination court to receive candidates from member states interested in fielding people for the top UNWTO secretary general’s at its 104th meeting slated for 28 October to 02 November 2016 in Egypt.

“Minister Mzembi is due to leave Cairo (today) for Tunisia which, like Egypt, is a member of the executive council of the UNWTO. It is the 32-member executive council which, at its meeting in Madrid, Spain, in May, 2017, will elect the next secretary general of the organisation,” the ZTA said.

The current UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Riffai, a Jordanian national, is due to stand down from the post at the end of 2017.

If elected, Mzembi will take up the top job at the UNWTO headquarters in Spain, in January, 2018.-The Source

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