AUC AND THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO) AGREE TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN AFRICA

Addis Ababa, 15 July 2014: The African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), today, Tuesday 15 July 2014, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of tourism in Africa at the AU Headquarter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The agreement was signed by Dr.Elham M.A. Ibrahim, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, and Mr.Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, who paid a working visit to the AU Commission today.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr.Elham described the MOU as a very significant step in the practical cooperation of the two organisations for the foreseeable future.
The signing of the MOU, the Commissioner said , is timely given that the AUC has formulated the African Agenda 2063 as its development vision for the next fifty years in which tourism has been given special priority because of its proven high capacity for eradicating the massive poverty in the continent. She reiterated that the AUC intends to make this cooperation very effective and fruitful for the sake of the people of Africa and the world in general.
The newly signed MOU between AUC and UNWTO aims at strengthening cooperation between the two organizations in view to advancing Africa’s tourism agenda. Additionally, it will enable them to combine efforts and work together towards the achievement of shared objectives based on the principles and values of appropriation, harmonization, alignment, results and mutual responsibility.
AMT/

For further information contact:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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