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Joseph Mwenda / AFP - Getty Images
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe signs an agreement on Tuesday calling for the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly to be co-hosted by Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The United Nations has appointed Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a "leader for tourism," sparking criticism from human rights activists, the Guardian reported.
The UN World Tourism Organization endorsed Mugabe, 88, along with his political ally, Zambian President Michael Sata, 75, as international envoys for the tourism initiative. The two African leaders will also co-host the organization's general assembly in August 2013.
Speaking in Victoria Falls, UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai endorsed Zimbabwe as a safe tourism destination, according to The Herald, Zimbabwe's state-owned newspaper.
"I was told about the wonderful experience and the warm hospitality of this country," Rifai said. “By coming here, it is recognition, an endorsement on the country that it is a safe destination."
Mugabe and Sata also attended and signed the UNWTO agreement.
The development came as a shock to human rights activists. Widely regarded as a pariah in the West, Mugabe is blamed for running Zimbabwe's economy into the ground and for massive human rights abuses to keep his grip on power. He is also subject to a travel ban.
"I can't see any justification for the man being an 'ambassador.' An ambassador for what? The man has blood on his hands. Do they want tourists to see those bloody hands?" The Guardian quoted Kumbi Muchemwa, a spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party, as saying.
Advocacy officer Dewa Mavhinga of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition also criticized the appointment, telling the British newspaper: "It sends the wrong message to Mugabe that he is now acceptable to the international community. This is the same guy who last week was bashing gays and lesbians, who he says are worse than dogs."
Critics have also said that Mugabe's appointment damages the UNWTO's credibility.
"It undermines the reputation of the UNWTO as being detached from the reality on the ground in terms of human rights violations and political instability," University of Zimbabwe politics professor John Makumbe told The Guardian.
UNWTO said it had not awarded Mugabe an official title.
"Correct would be to say UNWTO has presented both presidents with an open letter which calls for them to support tourism as a means to foster sustainable development in their countries to the benefit of their people and consequently ask them to support the sector in this respect," communications coordinator Sandra Carvao told The Guardian.
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Leave a Comment:
Why is this a surprise? Syria was elected to the UNESCO committee on human rights last year. There are still on the committee. The UN adopted a report this year praising Gaddafi's human rights record (after he was toppled and stopped from bombing his own people).
The UN is a joke.
"Secretary General Taleb Rifai "
Otherwise known as a member of the dumb S**ts
Obama adm/HRC just approved 2 more yrs for UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay- who surprisangly was just the other day in Zimbabwe and met the UN Human Rights abuses examplke # 3 Robert Mugabe to discuss how Zimbabwe sanctions should be lifted because they hurt the poor. Now we know the reak backhanded deal(s) going on- Navi Pillay deferred the sanctioned and travel-banned Mugabe to be the face of UNWTO- nice going UN- you made a mockery of yourself- and there is no outrage- Obama/Rice-UN/HRC not a peep-not one peep of outcry. France.Great Britain,Russia- show your mettle- do not undo Security council sanctions for the No 3 Human Rights Abuser .The current US adm. lacks even tghe human decency to call a SC meeting to assure-no sanctions lifted.
The UN, an elitist organisation, started by the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers and the J.P. Morgans, is one big lie. Several large parasites sucking on America's, the world's main artery. The true mission of their political agents, such as Obama Clinton etc is to hand over control of a country's resources and systematically kill off the population.
If Robert Mugabe has blood on his hands, what would you say about the majority of US Presidents who have illegally invaded many countries, for example Iraq under the guise of that country having weapons of mass destruction. After finding none they still continued to kill Sadam Hosein and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and we have not yet mentioned Afganistan. Has Mugabe ever done anything like this. He governs Zimbabwe and is in charge there. Are America and other European countries in charge of other peoples countries so that they can bomb and kill with impunity even when the UN told them do not go into Iraq. They did not just bomb Iraq, the bombed it with nuclear warhead carryinjg depleted uranium. Check the hospitals of Iraq about the number of Iraqis suffering from strange forms of cancerMy, my how blind can people be. I sincerily hope those inhuman rights groups read this and understand.
How you can equate Mugabe and his history of abuse against his own people and the history of the United States and it's foreign policy is an example of needing drugs or abusing drugs.
You are a dishonest and malevolent devil to defend brutal tyrants, radical terrorists, and a narcissistic ego maniac in Iraq. America gladly stays home if the God and freedom hating lunatics across the globe would do the same.
Zumbi: Thank you. However the hypocrites will never learn.
Has Mugabe done something like invading other countries and killing its people? Not like that, no. Attacking and killing your own people for not voting for you, arresting opposition members arbitrarily, and stealing land from farmers because they're white (the actual, government-offered explanation) is not like declaring war and invading other countries. You can argue about whether one is worse than the other, but it's really beside the point; Mugabe should not be held as an example of good or even sane governance, and whatever you think of the United States has nothing to do with that.
And BTW, you can't make a nuclear warhead with depleted uranium. You're either confusing your weapons with each other or just randomly mixing scary words together to make it seem worse (as if Iraq needs your help to look terrible).
When are we going to stop funding this factory of lunatics?
We will never be "united" around the consistent excretion of corruption and subjective, "feel good" lab experiments.
To Herald9
i was just trying to be modest, however since you forced it out of me i will say it.
What about the consistent human rights abuse to blacks and other people in America and Europe.
Starting from the enslavement of over 300 million Africans, the killing of over 150 million by feeding them to sharks in the middle passage (walking the plank) just because they resisted enslavement, then eventually reaching the West and wiping out 100s of millions of indigenous Indians then rewarding the Indians by celebrating Thanks Giving (for the genocide they perpetrated againt the Indians). What about the wiping out of over 100 million Chinese in the Opium Wars just because the British wanted to subdue the Chinese People with this drug (opium is not indigenous to China). And now the enslaved Africans that built America with their Brain and Brawn (Mostly their Brains - Intellect) when graduating from University get only a third of the salary their white counterparts with the same qualifications get. That destroys and kills many families and keeps entire communities in poverty. This has been ongoing. Black men in America are still being killed and wrongfully incarcerated (as genetic technology is now showing) on a daily bases just because they are black. Black women are still being raped by white men on a regular basis (Cops in particular). Obama does not have the power to change any of this (or at least not with the culture that he follows). They talk about Hitler killing 6 million Jews (that is really bad) however Hitler killed over 50 million Africans in Namibia (a modest estimate) and i don't hear anyone talking about that genocide. What are you all trying to say. Are you saying that the Black People who gave the World Civilization are not important. Are we not People too?
Concerning Mugabe. i am not saying he is an Angel, however most of what you hear of Mugabe comes from character assassination by the Western Press, in other words it means that not every thing you hear about Mugabe is true, if any of it at all. It's never too late to learn the Truth.
Peace & Blessings
"What about the consistent human rights abuse to blacks" . . . What about them? They're fricking shooting themselves to death in Chicago. They act like animals.
Most of the enslavement you comment about was done by their own kind. You never learned your history did you? Too bad you couldn't take the place of one of those to walk the plank...I would pay good money to see that...
Zumba - the most accepted estimates of people killed in all of WWII is from 50 to 70 million people dying as a direct result of that war.
Just one example of when posts like yours lose all credibility are when you say things like "Hitler killed over 50 million Africans in Namibia (a modest estimate)" The entire population of Namibia has never exceeded two or three million, and that is a generous estimate.
The above is but one example of you either being woefully misinformed or simply blindly hyping the point you are attempting to make.
"Concerning Mugabe. i am not saying he is an Angel, however most of what you hear of Mugabe comes from character assassination by the Western Press, in other words it means that not every thing you hear about Mugabe is true, if any of it at all. It's never too late to learn the Truth."
And you would know the truth? Then please, tell us, since you seem to know.
Or do you simply assume bias and have no alternative credible source?
@Zumba: Your post is filled with untruths, and you have no credibility. One example is your utterly ridiculous claim that Hitler killed 50 million in Namibia. The area that became Namibia was under South African control starting in 1915. The current population of Namibia is just over 2 million. Hitler had no interest in southern Africa, he had enough to worry about in Europe.
Stop posting lies.
To I__lVl__l
Please who ever you are get your facts straight.
Africa is the largest continent on the face of the earth, they lie to you with their maps. It is also the wealthiest, however 90% of the resources of that continent are used for the benefit of America and Europe. That's why you are able to enjoy the standard of living you do in America. The remainging 10% of the resources go to, in most cases corrupt leaders that support the white supremists in return for bribe money. Little do they know that money has no value. It's a trick thing used to steal countries resources which has real value. Some of this 10% then tricles down to the masses of people in Africa, hence why the poverty. So America is not the main artery as you have indicated. Europe and America are the greatest thieves of the world, starting off with all the people they stole from Africa, and now in recent times amassing weapons of mass destruction to keep what they have stollen and to continue stealing.
Obama is America's only hope to set things right, he should read these comments, before Divine Judgement is passed on America and Europe. They can start repenting by giving reparations to black families in America and the Caribbean (as a matter of fact, blacks around the world). All they have to do is print the money -- am i right or am i right?
"Obama is America's only hope to set things right" . . . hahahahahahah . . . what a joke! Obama is a looser and will be out of the picture come the next elections. As far as reparations to black families in America & the Caribbean . .. they can go back to where they came from for all I care.
You are a sad, ignorant, mad, little man. You inaccuracies are so many and so distorted there is no room to point out your rewritten history. Perhaps you could start with going to an accredited college and study something besides African Studies. Assuming you can reach the desk chair that is. Oh and I would recommend anger management and a government approved course on "hate thought".
Our maps are lying to us? Are you actually saying this?
Africa may have a lot of natural resources, but that doesn't equal "wealth". Wealth encompasses a lot of other factors, such as infrastructure, human capital (education), services, and good old-fashioned cash. There aren't very many African multinational corporations.
And BTW, you're obviously making up numbers off the top of your head (or perhaps quoting someone else who did). If 90% of Africa's resources go to the West, what about the considerable Chinese investment there? Are the Africans just ripping them off? Or do you discount Asia entirely (which you might, since you seem to think Africa is bigger and richer than it)?
And Buford, I'm pretty sure they don't teach this nonsense in African studies. I assume there's plenty of real statistics and analysis to use for those courses.
Leaving aside the European colonial legacy, much of Africa has shown to this day that they are still really screwed up, and Mugabe is the poster boy for all of the corrupt and violent regimes there.
We Americans stripped our own worthwhile charities and sent billions to Haiti for earthquake relief...only to see the money going to its corrupt leaders instead. So don't bother trying to make us feel guilty over Africa's problems.
This is his own freaking fault. Not sure why this even made the news unless the author was trying for the dumb & dumber award for this guy.
Did somebody at the UN forget the hundreds of thousand of men women and children he massacred and the thousands of children age 8 and up he forced to fight as his soldiers? But why not this is the same highly credible institution that made Cuba head of the human rights commission.
Apparently, all those child soldiers are making Zimbabwe very safe for tourists. Too bad he can't say the same for his citizens.
Tourism is great for sightseers but my issue is this. I do not want togo anywhere else and see another McDonalds.
Not appealing. I was born in Wales Guyana and arrived in the United States from there in 1986. I went back to visit and saw less trees and more fast food restaurants.
A very popular outtake of tourism is that countries tend to save the sights for the opportunities. They create a vacation stop that includes popular fast food chains etc and then supply tours to the rest or most popular interest, mostly managed by other vacation type instructors or corporations (because vacation is an industry too!)
It tends to create a sub culture away from the normal population that just doesn't seem to fit in. My thought here is not to remove the tourism idea but to initiate an environment that doesn't stray from the normal. Distinct differences are noticeable when countries become touristic.
What do you need to bring the vacation home to your country and still keep your cultural and population normal? Sounds like a fair question.
Why any organization would want to encourage tourist spending in a completely corrupt country like Zimbabwe is a total mystery to me. Any foreign exchange inflow will go directly into the pockets of Mugabe and his cronies. The utter lack of morality displayed by throwing ultra-lavish birthday parties while your people are starving is just sickening.
Is this worth comment ?
Not so surprizing for an organization spawned from the idea in the twisted mind of our first Socialist President Woodrow Wilson!
But the UN can still be useful...if we turn their building into condos.
Who cares who gave what kind of award or title. Who would go to Africa as a tourist? Everything there wants to kill you, eat you, rob, bite you, or infect you. The Mideast is still in the 14th century but Africa is still in the stone age. Between tribal feuds that have gone on for centuries, famine and religious strife.
This just helps invalidate the UN even further. Get the UN out of America. The UN is a tool of our enemies to tear us down and humiliate us. When will our leaders step up and get some back bone. Quit appologizing for being American and step up. All of our leaders are cowards especially at the UN.
It is just another sad day. Onward and downward everyone.
Nagurski - you sound like a scared child. Africa is made of 54 countries. The only ones you hear about are where there are problems. I've been to Cameroon and Nigeria without any problems. I know 4 young women working there now in Namibia, Cameroon, Ghana and Zambia. Guess what? They actually have cars there and fast food! Please do the world a favor and stay in your house so you won't get nervous being out where people are.
South Africa is a pretty good example of a good country too, though they've had some rocky politics lately. The continent has problems, that's indisputable, but at the very least you can judge a sovereign country on its own without resorting to generalizations and stereotypes.
Leader of tourism? Really... Really... Really... How about the Leader of Terrorism and Corruption, which is more like it...
Is the UN really that out of touch with reality and what is going on in each of the African countries... do they read the papers as to how many people there are being slaughtered by the government and rebels?
Just shut down the UN as it is and has never done anything positive to stop any of this bloodshed... Do you know how much money New York would save if the UN was torn down and disbanded...
The original premise was great, but it quickly turned out to be a corrupt enterprise with diplomats and their families breaking the laws, including rapes and murder then getting away with it because of immunity...
BS - shut it down and send these wastes of time back home...
Does anyone think that the United Nations, the bastion of good in the world (sic), is not a corrupt organization? This thug and his supporters have caused so much sorrow in Rhodesia oh right that name change made things a lot better after those evil white colonials left or were murdered. Africa was called the "Dark Continent" for a reason and it is slipping back into an uncivilized place and were it not for its natural resources, just like the middle east, who would want to spend any time in this place of extreme ignorance.
I thought "Dark Continent" was just a racist pun.
Yeah,I can't afford to go myself,but I'll send all my daughters,right after they get back from mexico.Could someone please shut the door!No more noone in this here country
and this is the group Obama wants to turn the internet over to. My god, we should shive the UN into the East river and let the diplomats drown.