24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly | Programme
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
Monday, 29 November , Madrid, Spain
Registration
Tuesday, 30 November , Madrid, Spain
Committee on the International Code for the Protection of Tourists
Lunch
Committee on Tourism and Sustainability
Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness
Committee on Tourism Online Education
Welcome dinner
Wednesday, 1 December, Madrid, Spain
Official opening
Plenary session 1
Credentials Committee
Lunch sponsored by Uzbekistan
Plenary session 2
Cocktail
Thursday, 2 December, Madrid, Spain
Thematic session: Innovation, Education and Rural Development to Build Back Better
Lunch
Plenary session 3
Associate Members meeting
Dinner sponsored by the Kingdom of Morocco
Friday, 3 December, Madrid, Spain
Programme and Budget Committee
Lunch
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24th UNWTO General Assembly
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
24th UNWTO General Assembly - Looking to the future
24th UNWTO General Assembly - Remember 2019?
Message by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
Message by UNCTAD SG Rebeca Grynspan
Message by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom
Message by ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos Salazar
Message by European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinaz
Message by CAF Executive President Sergio Díaz-Granados
Further to the Note Verbal sent on 22 October 2021 to the Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will hold its twenty-fourth session from November 30 to 3 December in Madrid, Spain, at the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel and Convention Center.
The twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization will take place in Madrid, from 30 November to 3 December 2021.
The theme of this twenty-fourth session will focus on the importance of innovation, education and rural development in rebuilding the tourism sector, highlighting the urgency of transforming the sector, whose growth regularly exceeds that of the world economy and international trade.
Together, we will overcome the current global challenge, and to do so, we need to join forces and act decisively to restore confidence.
24th UNWTO General Assembly | Resources
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
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24th UNWTO General Assembly | Video Competition
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
The 24th session of the General Assembly will feature the 5th edition of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven the relevance of multimedia communications within the new reality. The ongoing shift towards digitalization, changing viewer and user habits and the consolidation of mobile-first strategies have all accelerated since the pandemic broke. In addition, destinations around the world are preparing to restart tourism committed to seizing tourism’s unmatched contribution to people and planet.
The competition will feature two categories:
- Exceptional Stories of Tourism Resilience: This category looks for remarkable examples which showcase the importance of the human aspect of tourism as a sector and with a positive social impact that generates optimism and opportunities for all.
- Tourism Promotion and the Decade of Action. This category looks for remarkable examples of how Member Countries are linking their promotional videos either directly or indirectly to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through references to one or several of the 17 Global Goals.
One winning video will be chosen per region for both categories. This is an opportunity to position tourism as a key recovery sector to grow back better, stronger and building resilience.
Member States are encouraged to submit videos for both categories. Affiliate Members are encouraged to submit videos for the “Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism” category.
The winners of the 5th edition of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition will be announced during the 24th session of the General Assembly.
Exceptional Stories of Tourism Resilience
Traveling for happiness awards
Asociación empresarial hotelera de Madrid
Andros, Catch and Release, Fly Fishing
Bahamas
Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan
Bhutan
Cultural tourism, Gourmet cuisine & Wine
Bulgaria
Conociendo la cultura Aymara
Chile
Cuba
Cuba - Viñales
Mallorca en primer plano
Fundacio Mallorca Turisme
Georgia through the ages
Georgia
Un Viaje Extraordinario
Grupo Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad de España
Importancia del turismo para Guatemala
Guatemala
360 Hong Kong Moments
Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)
People of Tamil Nadu'
India
Felt Hat
Iran
“Made in Moris” Discovery Tour
Mauritius
A Sustainable Destination
Monaco
Get to know Moscow
Moscow City Tourism Committee
Sound of NEOM
NEOM
Guías turísticos de comunidades ancestrales
Paraguay
Have A Safe Trip, Pinas
Philippines
Can´t Skip Tomorrow
Portugal
Agrotourism Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Be Our Guest Again
Republic of Moldova
Live without frames
Russia
Experience Seychelles - Creole Rendezvous
Seychelles
Slovenian Gastronomy.
Slovenia
España sostenible
Spain
Seeds of Hope
The Read Sea Company
Turkaegean – Coast of Happiness
Turkey
Tourism Promotion and the Decade of Action
A cultural cauldron, shaped by diversity
Azerbaijan
A Land of Love
Bangladesh
Turismo em Natureza
Brazil
Yesterday
Ecuador
Egypt
Egypt
Ce qui compte vraiment
France
Feel Good
Germany
Do something Great
Greece
Dion Sustainable Tourism Project, De l'oubli à la vie
Haiti
Hungary has reopened
Hungary
Jordan Kingdom of Time
Jordan
Sustainable Gastronomy Day 2021
Macao, China
Branches Of Hope
Maldives
Myanmar is awaiting you
Myanmar
Experience Oman
Oman
Opening up to the world and joining a decade of action
Saudi Arabia
Swisstainable
Switzerland
Viet Nam's Heritages
Vietnam
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24th UNWTO General Assembly | Affiliate Members
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
The 43rd UNWTO Affiliate Members Plenary Session will take place on 30 November in Madrid as the first official activity of the General Assembly. The Plenary Session is the most important governing structure of the Affiliate Members and offers them an ideal setting to share initiatives and debate on the annual Programme of Work.
This year, the Affiliate Members Plenary Session will be held in the framework of the General Assembly, which provides the Affiliate Members with the opportunity to participate in the sessions of the General Assembly and other relevant events and activities, contribute to the UNWTO Programme of Work along with the Member States, hold bilateral meetings with high-level public sector representatives in order to discuss public-private cooperation issues, and be updated on the UNWTO’s overall activity.
On this occasion, the agenda of the Affiliate Members Plenary Session will focus on the following priority topics:
- Joint Affiliate Member actions for tourism recovery;
- Review of the Programme of Work 2021 and proposals for the Programme of Work for 2022-2023; and
- Approval of the revised Legal Framework of Affiliate Membership.
In addition, the 43rd Plenary Session will take place prior to the election of the new Board of the Affiliate Members. Therefore, the Affiliate Members who will be presenting their candidatures will have an ideal opportunity to network and promote their candidatures a few days before the voting phase.
For further information, please contact the Affiliate Members Department: am@unwto.org
Related links: AM Corner “We are Affiliate Members”
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24th UNWTO General Assembly | Thematic Session
30 November - 3 December 2021, Madrid - Spain
On 2 December, the Thematic Session on “Building for the Future: Innovation, Education and Rural Development” will focus on how to harness the contribution of digitalization, MSMEs, education and policy to drive inclusive recovery through tourism and leave no one behind.
- Launch of the UNWTO Digital Futures Programme for SMEs created to accelerate economic recovery of the tourism sector by supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Travel Tech and Mobility Startups to unleash digital technologies to create jobs and enhance future resilience in the linkages of the tourism value chain post COVID-19. The goal of the Programme is to digitalize 20 million SMEs by 2024.
- Restarting tourism through Innovation & Education for future generations: This session will focus on how innovation can foster inclusion and support destinations resiliency and competitively and will include case studies presenting the 4 winning startups from the UNWTO Global Rural Tourism Startup Competition and 4 UNWTO Member States sharing insights on the impact of entrepreneurship on rural communities, offering insights and inspiration to stakeholders and destinations.
- 2021 Global UNWTO Students' League: This session will showcase how youth and the future tourism leaders of our sector are a powerful asset when creating sustainable solutions to build back better, as well give the audience an inspiring insight into their thoughts, through a debate with Ministers about the tourism, its future and their future within it. To get to this session, the winning Students of the 2021 Global UNWTO Students' League—from ages 11 to 29—have previously competed in the League to give their best sustainable ideas on how to address the Challenges set for this year: ‘Rural Development through Tourism’ and ‘Plastics Pollution’.
- Policies to Foster Tourism for Rural Development: This Ministerial session will focus on how to develop effective policies for rural development through tourism including whole of government approach, financing, national/local policy coordination and public-private partnerships.
- Official Announcement Ceremony of the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO: villages recognized as “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO” in the first edition of the initiative (pilot) will be announced.
Thematic Session - 24th session of the General Assembly
Building for the Future: Innovation, Education and Rural Development
2 December, 10:00-13:00, Auditorium
Opening :
- H.E. Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO
Ministerial Debate on Policies to Foster Tourism for Rural Development
Moderator: Sandra Carvao, Chief, Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, UNWTO
Advancing the contribution of tourism to rural development requires adequate policy frameworks and strategies. The ministerial discussion will aim to identify opportunities for shaping new policies and effective instruments to support inclusive and sustainable tourism development in rural areas including issues such as infrastructure, connectivity, value chain development and investment.
Presentation of the UNWTO Digital Futures Programme
- Natalia Bayona, Director, Innovation, Education & Investments Department, UNWTO
The UNWTO Digital Futures Programme for SMEs will be launched to accelerate economic recovery of the tourism sector by supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Travel Tech and Mobility Startups to unleash digital technologies to create jobs and enhance future resilience in the linkages of the tourism value chain post COVID-19.
The Digital Futures Programme focuses on 5 digital paths: Business Growth, Connectivity, ECommerce, Big Data & Analytics, and Payments & Security in collaboration with technology corporations such as: Amadeus, Airbnb, Mastercard, Facebook, CISCO, Telefónica, and Amazon Web Services. The Programme has the ambition to serve at least 1 million SMEs from 22 countries.
Ministerial and Entrepreneurial Roundtable on Innovation in Rural Tourism:
- Moderator: Natalia Bayona, Director, Innovation, Education & Investments Department, UNWTO
This roundtable will showcase the four winners from each of the categories of the UNWTO Global Rural Startup Competition alongside four Ministers from UNWTO Member States across regions sharing their views on how entrepreneurship is making an impact in rural communities in their regions, offering insights and inspiration to future entrepreneurs and destinations. Prior to the roundtable we will also see a video compilation of the winning projects.
Empowering Future Tourism Leaders – The UNWTO Students’ League
Award Ceremony of the 2021 Global UNWTO Students’ League
Interactive Panel discussion: “Youth Meets Ministers”
Moderator: Lucy Garner, Youth and Talent Development
Through UNWTO’s youth and talent development initiative – the UNWTO Students’ League – students from around the world compete to give the tourism sector their best ideas to solve the challenges of the sector on subjects strongly linked to the UN SDGs.
Through an online competition, this powerful 360º tool enables, on the one hand, public and private sector stakeholders to foster talent development and obtain innovative sustainable solutions for the challenges they face. And on the other hand, this tool bridges the gap between students’ education and training and the realities of our sector and therefore not only gives students more insight on our sector but also enables these young people to then enter the labour market as highly qualified and skilled professionals capable of adapting to any situation that may arise.
This year’s 2021 Global UNWTO Students’ League Challenges have been created for 4 age and study categories, from ages 11 to 29. The students were asked to create innovative sustainable solutions and give us their best solutions for Rural Development and Plastics Pollution.
This event at the General Assembly will not only showcase the Teams and their winning solutions but will also give the audience the opportunity to answer some of the concerns that these young future tourism professionals have and give us an inspiring insight into their opinions about the Tourism Sector, its future and their future within it.
Official Announcement Ceremony of the 2021 Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO
Closing remarks
For any enquiries about the session, please contact: Addaia Arizmendi aarizmendi@unwto.org
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Governing Bodies
The bodies of the World Tourism Organization are the:
General Assembly
General Assembly
General AssemblyThe General Assembly is the principal gathering of the UN Tourism Organization.
It meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate topics of vital importance to the tourism sector. Every four years it elects a Secretary-General.
Regional Commissions
Regional Commissions
UN Tourism has six regional commissions-Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. The commissions meet at least once a year and are composed of all the Full Members and Associate Members from that region. Affiliate Members from the region participate as observers.
Regional CommissionsExecutive Council
Executive Council
The Executive Council is UN Tourism's governing board, responsible for ensuring that the Organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget. It meets at least twice a year and is composed by Members elected by the General Assembly in a ratio of one for every five Full Members.
Executive CouncilCommittees
Committees
Specialized committees of UN Tourism Members advise on management and programme content. These include: the Programme and Budget Committee, the Committee on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account, the Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness, the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and the Committee for the Review of Applications for Affiliate Membership.
CommitteesSecretariat
Secretariat
The Secretariat is led by Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia, who supervises 152 personnel at UN Tourism's Madrid Headquarters. Together, they are responsible for implementing UN Tourism's programme of work and serving the needs of Members. The Affiliate Members are supported by a full-time Director at the Madrid Headquarters. The Secretariat also includes a regional support office for Asia-Pacific in Nara, Japan, financed by the Japanese Government and a Regional Office for the Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, opened in 2021. At its 25th General Assembly, Members agreed to open a first Regional Office for the Americas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a Regional Office for Africa in Marrakesh, Morocco. The official languages of UN Tourism are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.