Summary: July 10, 2003: Statement by Mr. Andrea Cavallari, Counsellor, Representative of Italy, on behalf of the European Union. General Segment - Item 16 of the Agenda: Negotiation of an agreement between the United Nations and the World Tourism Organization to constitute it as a specialized agency of the United Nations system. Substantive Session of ECOSOC (GENEVA, 30 JUNE - 25 JULY 2003)
Madam Chairperson,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia and the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey have aligned themselves to this statement.
Madam Chairperson,
The EU welcomes the draft agreement negotiated by the Committee on Negotiations with Intergovernmental Agencies and by the World Tourism Organization for the conversion of the Organization into a specialized agency of the UN in accordance with article 57 and paragraph 1 of article 63 of the Charter. We wish to express our gratitude to the Deputy Permanent Representative of Peru, Mr. Marco Balarezo, for having chaired and conducted the work of the Ad Hoc Committee with such great skill and
leadership.
Madam Chairperson,
Since tourism is one of the main sectors of the services industry, the EU believes that the transformation of WTO into a specialized UN agency constitutes a remarkable achievement. The EU is already cooperating with the WTO in different areas that the two organizations define as complementary, such as the fight against child sex tourism, which was the theme of a conference recently held in Rome by WTO, democratization and respect for human rights, and technical and statistical methods.
The EU is convinced that wisely developed tourism can play a significant role in sustainable development and generate benefits for the poor. Tourism, one of the most dynamic economic activities of our time, is driven by investments from the private sector; it can directly and indirectly generate a GDP sustained growth, create jobs and attract investments, which is what developing countries need most. It also makes a strong contribution to mutual understanding among different cultures and
traditions.
We also realize that national and international events-such as terrorism or the outbreak of communicable diseases-can have a dire effect both on this industry and on countries that are heavily dependent on tourism for their revenues. Transforming the WTO into a specialized agency will give the UN system a greater understanding of the benefits and challenges facing us and a more comprehensive view of the contribution that tourism can make to development.
Let me conclude, Madam Chairperson, by saying that the EU welcomes ECOSOC's decision on the draft resolution that has been submitted to us today and looks forward to the completion of the procedure of recognition of WTO as a Specialized Agency of the UN at the 58th session of the General Assembly.
Thank you, Madam Chairperson.
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