Iran elected as vice-president of UNWTO's general assembly

The General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) elected Iran as vice-president in its 20th meeting co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia. During the meeting which started on Monday, Iran's membership in the Executive Council and Committee to study the membership of the affiliate members for the years 2014 to 2017 was also approved. Iran's Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) has sent a delegation to the the event, and the delegation has had a meeting with UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. During the meeting, Rifai expressed the hope that Iran's cooperation and partnership with the UNWTO would continue. The UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism to maximize the contribution of tourism to socio-economic development, while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development. UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world. UNWTO’s membership includes 155 countries, 7 territories and over 400 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.