Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured yesterday that “there is no request” by Saudi Arabia to take over the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), currently in Madrid, and warned, in any case, that any initiative in this sense would be “a challenge to the multilateral system”.
“There is no request because neither the Saudi Arabian authorities nor the secretary general of the UNWTO have indicated that there is at this time any request for a change of headquarters by Saudi Arabia or any other member country,” the minister said at a press conference after visiting, along with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; the secretary general of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili; and the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the site of the Congress Palace, located on the Paseo de la Castellana and which will house the future headquarters of this organization established in Madrid since 1975.
“I do not like to make political fiction, but what I can say is that there is a block support from the EU and Latin America and all the other countries that I have pressed”, he continued, referring to his recent visits to Pakistan and Qatar. In any case, he warned, “if there were a request to move the UNWTO headquarters, it would not only be a challenge to the host country, it would be a challenge to the multilateral system, to the balance of the United Nations”, because “the headquarters of international organizations are not located capriciously, they respond to countries especially committed to the issue of that headquarters”. “Madrid, Spain, Europe, are the center of world tourism, that is evident, and headquarters cannot be moved as if they were franchises of a store and a baseball team”, he added.
The UNWTO Secretariat General has not commented on the matter and reminded The Diplomat that any decision on the possible change of venue is the sole responsibility of the General Assembly. Saudi Arabia has already informed the Spanish authorities that its wish is that the next UNWTO General Assembly, to be held from November 30 to December 3 in Marrakech (Morocco), vote on the change of venue, something that the Executive of Pedro Sánchez has considered an unfriendly gesture and has made it known to the Saudi Embassy. In any case, the Saudi candidacy has not yet been formalized.
Tender in 2022 and completion of works in 2024
At the same press conference, Maroto announced that the tender for the contract to remodel the building and the awarding of the contract will take place in 2022, thus fulfilling the Spanish Government’s commitment to the UNWTO. The works could begin in early 2023 and will last around fifteen months, so the new headquarters should be available in 2024. “With this project Spain renews its commitment to the UNWTO, which will have a more modern and functional headquarters, located in a privileged place in Madrid, in the heart of the financial center, which will give more visibility to the organization”, said Maroto. “A headquarters in line with the role that the organization is called to play in promoting sustainable, digital, safe and inclusive tourism”, she added.
The building destined for the headquarters, located opposite the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, will have a total built area of almost 8,000 square meters, will consist of a basement for facilities and parking with capacity for more than 30 cars, a mezzanine with a cafeteria and a multi-purpose exhibition hall and three floors for offices, offices and meeting rooms, including an auditorium of more than 500 square meters with translation booths. In addition, according to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, the new headquarters will have several measures aimed at energy efficiency and sustainability, such as solar panels, LED lighting or air conditioning and ventilation systems with the highest performance.
The UNWTO, of which Spain is a founding member, has been headquartered in Madrid since its creation in 1975. Since 2003, and thanks to the impetus exerted by Spain, among other countries, the UNWTO became part of the United Nations family as a specialized agency, which allowed it to establish itself as the main international institution in the field of tourism.
