Saturday 22 Feb
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, participated in the 51st meeting of the Regional Committee for the Middle East of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), held in the Qatari capital, Doha, and chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Amr El Sherbiny, the Egyptian Ambassador to Qatar, Ambassador Khaled Tharwat, the Minister's Advisor for International Relations and General Supervisor of the General Department of International Relations and Agreements at the Ministry, and Ahmed Nabil, Assistant Minister of Aviation and Follow-up.
Several Arab ministers and heads of delegations attended,
representing Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain,
Jordan, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, and Egypt.
During the meeting, the council reviewed the report by Mr.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism
Organization, on the state of global tourism in 2024. The report outlined the
organization's vision for global tourism and its key related programs. The
council also reviewed cooperation programs in the Middle East region and a
report on the implementation of the organization's 2024/2025 work program. This
latter report included a presentation on the organization's technology and
artificial intelligence-based training programs.
Ms. Basma Al-Maiman presented the report of the Secretariat
of the Regional Committee for the Middle East, highlighting the key programs
and cooperation frameworks implemented among member states. The report also
outlined the organization's work program for the region during the 2023/2024
period.
Ministers and delegation heads offered input on the
organization's regional work program, and participants discussed member state
proposals and initiatives for the 2026-2027 program. The meeting also included
the election of two Middle Eastern countries to four-year terms on the World
Tourism Organization's Executive Council.
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates won membership in the
organization's Executive Council for its session from 2025 to 2029.
Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy expressed his gratitude to all
nations participating in the 51st meeting of the UN World Tourism Organization's
Regional Committee for the Middle East. He highlighted the strong Arab
consensus among member states, particularly noting Egypt's selection for the
Executive Council seat, which was achieved without a vote.
He emphasized Egypt's commitment to fulfilling its
responsibilities in this significant role. He stated that this seat represents
not only the member states but also the entire Middle East region, which Egypt
is proud to represent.
During his visit to Doha, Qatar, Minister Fathy met with Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji, Head of Tourism in Qatar. They discussed strengthening bilateral tourism cooperation between Egypt and Qatar, focusing on increasing tourism traffic between the two countries in the near future.
