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Dr Mzembi

Freedom Mupanedemo
Incredulity, shock and disbelief has engulfed the last ditch entry of South Korea’s Ambassador Dho Young-Shim into the succession matrix of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation secretary general post.

Dr Taleb Rifai, the UNWTO secretary general, officially steps down from the post in September. But the elections will be held in May in Spain. Ambassador Dho’s shock entry has been described as part of concerted efforts to scuttle Africa’s glaring chance to assume the organisation’s stewardship.

Ambassador Dho is already in the UNWTO’s top hierarchy as the chairperson of the organ’s Sustainable Tourism for Elimination Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation. For someone who is in the system and her timing to present herself as one of the contestants to the post some few weeks before the window for aspiring candidates to announce themselves lapses, has raised eyebrows.

Surely, having worked in the UNWTO’s ST-EP foundation for so long, Ambassador Dho is not a novice in this game and her latest move smacks of a person with a more hidden agenda than just contesting for the post of the secretary general.

The fact that her country through former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, was heading the United Nations itself, indicates sheer greedy and a clandestine attempt by Ambassador Dho to have all key international organisations under South Korea’s armpit.

Ambassador Dho is unashamedly trying to snatch votes from both Europe and the Americas by roping in Professor Carlos Vogeler, the current executive director for Member Relations at the World Tourism Organisation as her deputy if she wins.

Prof Vogeler has been within the UNWTO since 2009 where he also held the position of Regional Director for the Americas.

Skepticism has been raised whether the intention by Ambassador Dho is meant to chart a new direction for the betterment of global tourism or was driven by sheer determination by those within the top echelons of the UNWTO to rotate power from among themselves for self-gratification.

Since its conception in 1957, the UNWTO has been largely led by “its own people”, who raised through the ranks until they assumed the position of secretary general.

Dr Mzembi

While there are no set rules that the UNWTO secretary general’s post should be rotated among the continents, it is a fact that only Africa and Asia are still to head this important arm of the UN.

The general feeling is that the time for this global tourism body to be headed by an African has come.

Africa’s man and Zimbabwe’s candidate Dr Walter Mzembi has it all.

His vast experience in tourism and his passion to see the growth of this industry for the benefit of Africa and the world is compelling.

This general feeling was bolstered when African Heads of State and Government unanimously endorsed one candidate in the name of Dr Mzembi at the African Union summit in Kigali last year.

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But as in any election, the race to the UNWTO job is stiff and fraught with manipulation and heckling.

And Europe, which has held the position of the UNWTO secretary general for a record 46 years has already shown intention to push for its own interest in this election by “inviting” Seychelles’ Alain St Ange to contest on an African ticket.

A ‘dog of war’ as he has become, St Ange has been on a whirlwind campaign bragging and telling those who care to listen that he was invited by some from Europe to contest and so he “feels the honour” to go for it.

This is despite the fact that he and his island country are in breach of the AU resolution. So, St Ange is in it and its game on! It is the candidature of St Ange and the last ditch entry of Ambassador Dho that has miffed neutrals and all those yearning to see the world turning into one global tourism village.

Notwithstanding the fact that Asia needs her chance too, Ambassador Dho’s timing and her idea of naming her deputy even before she wins is naturally likely to cause fissures within the UNWTO than turning it into a “formidable organ” as she claims.

By roping in someone else to run with her, Ambassador Dho is probably exposing herself as an unworthy candidate who needs to lean on someone else for her to deliver. It’s a pointer to the already sceptical world that she on her own capacity cannot inject new energy nor can chart a new direction to turn around this important UN organ

Their formidable partnership is surely one seemingly sponsored duet meant to derail Africa’s hope, but their machinations would be put to test come May.

It is a fact that Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East boast a buoyant tourism performance and market share and this is because these continents had a chance to have one of their own steering the UNWTO ship.

What Europe is probably failing to realise is that by giving Africa a chance in the form of Dr Mzembi it presents a potential of building up on an already thriving European tourism economy through the “Visit, Trade and Invest” concept.

The UNWTO election is heading towards the climax and many tourism enthusiasts are keeping their fingers crossed.

Below is the brief chronicle of the people and continents that once or twice headed the UNWTO since its birth in 1957.

In 1957, the International Union of Official Travel Organisation (IUOTO) now World Tourism Organisation (WTO) was formed and Robert Lonati, a Frenchman, assumed office as the first Secretary General of the IUOTO.

His mandate spanned for more than 20 years and thereafter, Willbald Pahr from Australia took over and steered the UNWTO ship between 1986 and 1989. Antonio Enriquez Savignac from Mexico took over the reins between 1990 and 1996 representing Latin America.

France retuned with Francesco Frangialli running the UNTWO from 1997 to 2009. He was replaced by Jordan’s Dr Talib Rifai from the Middle East.

UNWTO General Secretaries

Lobet Lonati (France) 1975-1985

Willibald Pahr (Australia) 1986-1989

Antonio Enriques Savignac (Mexico) 1990-1996

Francesco Frangialli 1997-2009

Taleb Rifai (Jordan) 2010-present — Zimpapers Syndication.