eTN is publishing the comment received by this known insider group of UNWTO and government officials, with an appeal directed explicitly to the Executive Council meeting chairs, Saudi Arabia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Jamaica. The Seychelles also have a vital role to play in this conspiracy.
Comments received translated from Spanish:
It is imperative that you come up with an appeal to the members of the UN Tourism Executive Council NOW! The ball is in your court as the delegates are reaching Colombia today and tomorrow.
With Colombia just a few hours away, exposing Zurab’s manipulations is critical. He’s attempting to shorten the campaign period for candidates while extending his control tools, despite the potential presence of only a few contenders. This is simply a tactic to limit competition.
Second, Zurab requires a new letter of endorsement from his government if he intends to run again. It cannot be the previous one he posted at the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2023. I know it had the dates for 2026-2029 as if they already knew, but the rules clearly state he must resign if he wishes to campaign, and he needs a new appointment to run.
The members chairing the Executive Council in Colombia are Bahrain, Brazil, and Jamaica.
The delegate from Brazil is Zurab’s puppy, as Brazil is a “friend” and ready to manipulate their team.
Alecia Gomez and Zhanna Iakovleva will sit on the committee as heads of legal, finance, and HR. This manipulatory move has been revealed numerous times. Brazil will be the host country of FITUR next year, given that Mexico backed out due to political issues with Spain. Once again, Zurab made this move.
Many countries also present at the WTM ministerial meeting clearly said that it is time to stop this senseless third-term ambition and move on with a serious candidate. Even Zurabs’ closest supporters are likely to distance themselves and are unwilling to be complicit.
It’s concerning that the UN system has not yet intervened.
Should this absurdity persist, the General Assembly in Saudi Arabia will likely end it, just as it did in Samarkand.
He is trying his best. With some businessmen from Georgia and friendly countries, including the powerful real estate tycoon of the Maldives, and their interest in football, for example, the Dominican Republic has decided to open a permanent representative office for UN Tourism in Madrid.
The inauguration was attended by the 68-year-old Director of Americas, former Minister of Argentina Gustavo Santos, and Region Africa Director Elcia Grandcourt, a loyal soldier for Zurab from Seychelles.
This seems to be more like a local diplomatic headquarters for Zurab’s maneuvers outside of the agency itself.
Let us remind ourselves that Zurab started his campaign a year and a half ago and has since traveled the world, promising a lot to many countries, especially Africa, only to have votes in return. His campaign is all done using member states’ funding. And we are sure none of the promises made will be kept, as all he cares about is eliminating rules and democracy and ruling the agency forever as his own company.
We cannot allow the smallest UN agency, with a limited budget and reach, to flout ethical standards and undermine UN principles. This is particularly critical as UN funding faces scrutiny.
With its ties to the private sector, UN tourism must champion transparency and merit-based leadership.
We urge member states, especially in Africa and the Americas, to recognize the need to end this insanity and the necessity of requiring a secretary general who is passionate about tourism and advocates for all.
It does not matter what region he or she is in. It’s time for clarity, transparency, and change.
We call on member states to support rule changes in Colombia that foster fairness for all candidates.
We hope you will amplify this call and that candidates will back this effort to ensure a fair process.
