UN: ECOSOC votes for World Tourism Organization to be specialized UN agency

ECOSOC votes for World Tourism Organization to be specialized UN agency
10 July – The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a 
resolution today recommending to the General Assembly that the World Tourism 
Organization, an intergovernmental organization that serves as a global forum 
for tourism policy and issues, become a specialized agency of the UN.

The change, which would put the organization on the same footing as other UN 
agencies like the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 
(UNESCO) or the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), entails increased 
status and would give it a voting role in inter-agency mechanisms such as the 
chief executives' boards.

After the adoption of the resolution during ECOSOC's annual meeting in 
Geneva, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Francesco 
Frangialli, said the next step would be to conduct parallel negotiations with 
the General Assembly, and within a few months, he hoped the first new 
specialized agency since 1985 would be admitted.

He noted that while there was no material implementation for the UN itself, 
the benefit of the move would be found in increasing the significance of the 
World Tourism Organization and its work.

Introducing the resolution, Marco Balarezo, Chairman of the Committee on 
Negotiations with Intergovernmental Agencies, said the move would be 
important for the future of the World Tourism Organization and for the work 
of the UN in a critical area. Tourism was an area of economic, social and 
environmental importance to many countries.

As a specialized agency, the World Tourism Organization would be able to work 
more closely with the UN system as a whole, he added. Tourism could become 
one of the substantive areas of the Council's work and could also provide the 
subject for a future high-level segment.


Source: UN; 11 July 2003