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Dr Mzembi

Herald Reporter
African Union-endorsed candidate for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary-general elections set for May, Dr Walter Mzembi, officially deposited his nomination papers with the incumbent, Dr Taleb Rifai last Saturday. Although the deadline for the deposit of the papers is midnight on March 11, 2017, Dr Mzembi decided to detour through Madrid at the beginning of his current campaign outreach programme, to lodge the requisite documentation directly with the secretary-general a week before the agreed cut-off date.

Dr Mzembi

The occasion was witnessed by Dr Mzembi’s wife, Mrs Barbara Perez Hernandez, UNWTO legal counsel, Ms Elcia de Grandcourt, UNWTO regional director for Africa and members of Dr Mzembi’s campaign team.

Among the papers submitted by Dr Mzembi were an official nomination letter signed by President Mugabe, a two page CV, a six page statement of policy and management intent and a certification of sound health.

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The statement of policy and management sets out the vision of Dr Mzembi, as secretary-general.

It reflects his ambitious 10-Point Plan for the reform and renewal of the Organisation and provides a clear road-map signposting how he intends to attain the targets articulated in that plan.

Minister Mzembi

Key elements of his reform agenda, as highlighted in his statement of policy and management intent, include administrative and Governance Reform of the Organisation, responsible tourism and sustainability, resource mobilisation and business development, organisational repositioning and brand development.

Receiving the official nomination papers, Dr Rifai thanked Dr Mzembi for making the effort to personally deposit the requisite paperwork and congratulated him on his impressive campaign effort to date and wished him well in the forthcoming election.

Dr Walter Mzembi (left) has sought the support of many African leaders, including South Africa’s Jacob Zuma (right)

The election of a new secretary-general will take place during the course of the forthcoming 105th meeting of the UNWTO Executive Council which is scheduled to be held in Madrid, Spain, from May 11 to 12, 2017.

To date, in addition to Dr Mzembi, there are four other candidates who have officially declared their candidature for the same post.

They are Mrs Doh Young-shim of the Republic of (South) Korea, Ambassador Gurab Poloshikavili of the Republic of Georgia, Mr Marcio Favilla Luca de Paula of Brazil and Mr Alain St Ange of the Seychelles who is viewed as a spoiler given that Africa endorsed Dr Mzembi.

In the office: Dr Walter Mzembi ,endorsed by his country Zimbabwe as well as SADC and the AU , is Africa’s united candidate for the UNWTO secretary general position here he stands amidst some of the many awards and memorabilia he has accumulated as Zimbabwe’s minister of tourism

The election will be conducted by secret ballot.

To win, a candidate requires a 50 percent plus-1 tally from the Executive Council members present and voting.

If all 33 members of the Executive Council are present and voting, this means that a candidate needs to secure a minimum of 17 votes in order to win the election.