African nations have nominated a Zimbabwean, Dr Walter Mzembi, as their candidate to become the new head of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN - WTO). If elected, Mzembi will come on board in 2017, during the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and it will be the first time in the organisation’s 43-year history that an African would head the organisation. A former member of the UN-WTO’s Executive Council, and current chairman of the UN-WTO’s Commission for Africa, Mzembi was instrumental in convening the 20th UN-WTO General Assembly in 2013 jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia. Membership of the Madrid-based UN-WTO, one of the 17 specialised agencies of the United Nations, covers 157 countries, 6 territories, and 480 affiliate groups representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations, and local tourism authorities.

The organisation promotes responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and works to make tourism an effective tool for development.

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