Francesco Frangialli, the Honorary Secretary Basic of the United Nations World Tourism Group (UNWTO), speaks out to induce UNWTO to stick to its guidelines and forestall the present Secretary Basic, Zurab Pololikashvili, from inflicting additional injury and scandals.
Francesco Frangialli, former UNWTO Secretary Basic from 1997 to 2009, had had sufficient after the UN-Tourism Government Council surprisingly really helpful a largely unknown girl from the United Arab Emirates, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, because the group’s subsequent Secretary Basic, however ignored a request by a European member state to limit actions by the present Secretary Basic.
Within the meantime, regardless of efforts by Francesco Frangialli and Czechia, a member state of the EU, the present UN-Tourism Secretary Basic, Zurab Pololikashvili, managed to disregard a vote requested by Czechia for the Government Council, forcing him to step down and have an impartial committee take over the affairs till December 31.
On January 1, 2026, the newly elected Secretary Basic is anticipated to take over, if the Basic Meeting in Riyadh confirms the advice by the Government Council for Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais.
After Shaikha was elected, the Czech Republic minister will need to have been speechless, to not insist that his movement be heard, to demand that the group kind an impartial committee to alleviate Zurab Pololikashvili of his duties till the brand new incoming successor takes his helm.
This movement by Czechia was totally ignored by the Government Council when the 2 anticipated “main candidates” from Greece and Mexico left the gathering early in disbelief on the shock end result of this election.
Fears of ongoing abuse of the UNWTO workplace have resurfaced in workers promotions, together with a case involving a girl who could also be in a private relationship with the outgoing secretary-general, in keeping with quite a few sources inside and out of doors UN-Tourism.
Mr. Frangialli calls for that UN-Tourism put an finish to the scandals.
Mr. Frangialli informed eTurboNews:
I revealed an attraction a number of weeks in the past to the Government Council, the place, together with my successor Taleb Rifai, I used to be advocating for an interim administration of the UNWTO from the second of the election of the brand new Secretary Basic to the departure of Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili from Madrid that may happen on December thirty first.
I wished to ascertain exterior governance to stop any damaging conduct by the present Secretary Basic. I had particularly in thoughts points associated to workers administration, such because the recruitment or the promotion of a buddy or a relative.
The Government Council didn’t reply to my name, nor the same demand from the Czech Republic. I suppose that its members have been too targeted on the election itself and didn’t take note of what would instantly observe.
What I had anticipated has occurred with the outrageous and, from my viewpoint, irregular promotion of Ms. Shirin El Tayan from wage grade P1 to P5, justified by her capability for the place of New Chief of Protocol. This occurred after she had already benefited from a “particular put up allowance.”
Everybody inside UNWTO is conscious that Ms. El Tayan has a particular relationship with Zurab Pololikashvili. Recruited as a easy assistant by Taleb Rifai, she has already acquired a uncommon improve from the Basic service class to the Skilled one from her successor.
The justification given to this determination is each real and shameless: “This improve, spanning multiple grade throughout the similar class, would sometimes require aggressive recruitment. Nonetheless, I’ve decided that it’s in the most effective curiosity of the Group to not provoke a aggressive course of, Zurab wrote.”
All of the savor of the sentence lies within the phrases “finest curiosity of the Group”. The protocol of aggressive recruitment is an space wherein one can discover wonderful candidates inside and out of doors the Group.
Ms. El Tayan’s surprising promotion just isn’t solely ethically questionable but in addition irregular. It doesn’t respect the principles that UNWTO is required to observe, having change into, in January 2004, one of many 15 specialised businesses of the UN System.
At the moment, I signed the treaty with the UN Secretary-Basic, Kofi Annan, which is able to govern the relations between the 2 Establishments.
In most areas, specialised businesses act independently and should not topic to UN steerage. It’s not the case for human assets administration. In being transformed right into a full-fledged company, the Establishment grew to become a part of the “UN widespread system”.
It should observe the principles imposed by the UN Worldwide Civil Service Fee to all of the Organizations of the System, particularly these governing recruitments and promotions {of professional} workers.
Beneath these guidelines, Ms. El Tayan couldn’t be promoted immediately from P1 to P5.
I subsequently urge the incoming Secretary Basic to place an finish to this irregular state of affairs. Ms. El Tayan must be requested to surrender her promotion and reimburse the quantity she acquired in extra.
If she refuses, she must be compelled to go away the Group. She legally might attraction such a choice to the tribunal of the Worldwide Labor Group, however she would more than likely lose the case.
Extra usually, I urge the Government Council to request that the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations overview the prevailing human useful resource administration practices in UNWTO and supply suggestions for his or her enchancment.
The interval of troubles just isn’t completed for UNWTO. They’re a part of Zurab Pololikashvili’s legacy.
Francesco Frangialli
