The Diplomat
UNWTO Executive Council agreed yesterday to hold an Extraordinary General Assembly to address the suspension of the Russian Federation’s membership, with 72% of the votes. The first UNWTO Extraordinary General Assembly in its history will be convened in the coming days.
Held in Madrid at the request of several UNWTO members, the Executive Council met, also for the first time in its history to deal with a request for suspension of one of its members, amidst continuing global concern and condemnation of the Russian Federation’s unilateral actions in Ukraine.
“War is never a solution! Not now, not ever. But it is clear that not everyone is committed to this ideal,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili during the meeting. “For this reason,” he continued, “UNWTO – and I as the voice of the Organisation – must be loud and clear: if you are a member, you must commit to our standards. And you must embrace our values. That is why, when members go against our objectives, there must be consequences.”
“Aggression against Ukraine is incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations,” the organisation recalls in a statement, “and contravenes the fundamental objective of the UNWTO, enshrined in article 3 of its Statutes,” which establishes as fundamental principles of the organisation “the promotion and development of tourism with a view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for and observance of human rights”.
Strengthening global governance
The UNWTO fully supports the UN General Assembly resolution and the vote of the UN Human Rights Council, it said in its press release. “The sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders, must be upheld, and the call of the United Nations for the peaceful resolution of the conflict must be followed,” it adds.
Last week, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution demanding Russia’s “immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”. The UNGA reaffirmed the paramount importance of the UN Charter in promoting law among nations.
Also last week, the UN Human Rights Council condemned the Russian Federation’s actions “in the strongest possible terms”. Its members voted to establish a special commission to investigate alleged human rights violations, including possible war crimes in Ukraine.
According to its Statutes, the UNWTO General Assembly alone has the sovereign responsibility to decide on the suspension of the membership of any Member State, if it considers that it persists in a policy contrary to the fundamental objectives of the Organisation, as stated in article 3 of its Statutes.
