 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Taleb Rifai (born 1949) is a Jordanian businessman and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization [1] between 2010 and 2017. [2] He was the first Jordanian to hold a UN agency Secretary General position.
After completing his B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Cairo in 1973, Rifai went on to attain a master's degree in Engineering and Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, United States in 1979. In 1983, he received his PhD in Urban Design and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. [1]
From 1973 to 1993, Rifai was a professor of architecture at the University of Jordan in Amman. From 1993 to 1995, Rifai headed Jordan's first Economic Mission to Washington DC, promoting trade, investments, and economic relations between Jordan and the United States. Rifai was also actively involved in policy making and developing investment strategies as Director General of the Investment Promotion Corporation (IPC) in Jordan (1995–1997). [1]
In the three years preceding his service in the Jordanian Cabinet, he was appointed the CEO of Jordan's Cement Company, [3] one of the country's largest public shareholding companies with over 4,000 employees. [4] During his term he successfully led the first large-scale privatization and restructuring scheme in Jordan, by bringing in the French cement company Lafarge in 1998 and continued to serve as CEO under the new Lafarge management. [5] From 1999 to 2003, he served in several ministerial portfolios in the Government of Jordan. First, he was appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, in charge of Jordan's Development Agenda and bilateral and multilateral relationships with donors and agencies. [3] He was subsequently appointed Minister of Information, the spokesman of the Government of Jordan, as well as being in charge of communications and public media. During his tenure, he embarked on restructuring public media and in particular the Jordan Television Network. [4]
In 2001, his portfolio was expanded to include the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity, where he established Jordan's first Archaeological Park in the ancient city of Petra in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Bank. He also realized several large projects in Jerash, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum. [6] As Minister of Tourism, he was the Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board, President of the Amman School for Tourism and Hospitality and was elected Chairman of the Executive Council of UNWTO in 2001. [4]
Prior to assuming his post at the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai was the Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for three consecutive years. His responsibilities included the overall supervision and implementation of the International Labor Standards, as well as advising on labor markets and employment policies, particularly in the Middle East region. [3]
Taleb Rifai served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from February 2006 to February 2009, at which point he took over the role of Secretary-General ad interim on 1 March 2009. Rifai was selected as the official candidate to be presented to entire 155 member inter-governmental body on 12 May 2009, receiving 20 out of 31 votes. Korean Dr. Oh Jee-Chul, from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), received 10 out of the 11 remaining votes, with the final single vote being given to Mr. Khalid Malik, the Pakistani UN Resident Coordinator in China. The fourth candidate, Mr. Arab Hoballah, the Chief of Sustainable Consumption and Production in the UN Environment Program of Lebanon, withdrew. In October 2009, Rifai was unanimously elected by the entire body, and began his four-year term on 1 January 2010.
He was elected for a second four-year term, starting in January 2014, by the 20th Session of UNWTO General Assembly in August 2013 [1] and served in that capacity through 2017. [7] In his Statement of Intent and Management for the period 2014–2017, Rifai expressed his sense of gratitude and accomplishment looking back at his first term as UNWTO Secretary-General, and outlined the focus for his current term: Travel and Tourism's contributions and responsibilities in a rapidly changing global scene, UNWTO leading the Travel and Tourism Agenda, and the assessment of the reform process UNWTO underwent between 2009 and 2013. [8] Zurab Pololikashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra, was appointed as Rifai's successor as Secretary General of the UNWTO for the period 2018–2021.
UN Tourism is a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. Other offices include: a Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific in Nara, Japan and a Regional Office for the Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal bodies, the Specialized Agencies and related organizations. The UN System includes subsidiary bodies such as the separately administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary entities. Some of these organizations predate the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and were inherited after the dissolution of the League of Nations.
Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh is a Jordanian former politician and judge who was the 39th Prime Minister of Jordan, serving from October 2011 to April 2012. He was also formerly a judge of the International Court of Justice.
Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan is a princess of Jordan and a first cousin of King Abdullah II.
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is the chairman and founder of the international Jordan-based organisation, the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org). Dubbed as the godfather of Arab accounting, Abu-Ghazaleh has also been credited for promoting the significance of Intellectual Property in the Arab World.
Abdullah Ensour is a Jordanian economist who served as the 40th Prime Minister of Jordan between October 2012 and May 2016. A veteran politician, he has held various cabinet positions in Jordanian government in addition to being prime minister.
Haim Katz is an Israeli politician. He currently serves as the Minister of Tourism. Katz was the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Services from 2015 to 2019, and served as a member of the Knesset for One Nation between 1999 and 2003, and for Likud between 2003 and 2023.
Nader Dahabi is a Jordanian politician who was the 37th Prime Minister of Jordan from 25 November 2007 to 14 December 2009. He took office following the resignation of Marouf al-Bakhit, and days after the parliamentary elections in which Islamists and opposition were defeated by pro-regime candidates. On 9 December 2009, he handed in his resignation to King Abdullah II, along with the rest of his government.
Najib Balala is a Kenyan politician who formerly served as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. He traces his ancestral origin to the Hadhrami people of Yemen. M.P. for Mvita Constituency. He was the party leader of The Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC), a partner of the Jubilee Coalition.
Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP, CD is a Jamaican politician and former Member of Parliament for Westmoreland West, Jamaica. He is a former government minister. He was the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica from 2012 to 2016. He was elected the first vice chair of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization representing Jamaica in 2012 and elected chairman of the Executive council for the 2014-2015 period. McNeill was elected a Vice President of The People's National Party at the Party's annual conference in September 2016.
André Vallerand is a Canadian administrator, entrepreneur, and former politician. Vallerand served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 1994 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Robert Bourassa and Daniel Johnson.
Suleiman Hafez, also known as Suleiman Hafez Al-Masri, is a Jordanian economist and politician who has served in various capacities in different cabinets of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Ahmad Alhendawi is a Jordanian activist and United Nations official. He currently serves as the Secretary-General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the youngest in the history of the organization. Prior to this, he was the first-ever United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 17, 2013, as the youngest senior official in the history of the United Nations at that time. He supported UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in addressing his thematic priority of working with and for young people as part of his current Five-Year Action Agenda.
Samir S. Murad is a Jordanian businessman. He is the former Minister of Labor and a former senate member. He also served as Jordan’s Minister of Labor from 2010 to 2011. He is a social entrepreneur, dedicated to youth development, education, employ-ability, responsible citizenship and public service.
Ahmad Lozi was a Jordanian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Jordan from 29 November 1971 to 26 May 1973. He succeeded Wasfi al-Tal who had been assassinated by the Black September Organization. In the 1960s he had already served as member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. He also had terms as Minister for Prime ministry affairs, Municipal Affairs and Finance. He served as Chief of the Royal Court from 1979 to 1984. This was followed by the presidency of the Senate for thirteen years, from 1984 to 1997. In 2011 he headed a committee to oversee changes to the Constitution of Jordan.
Princess Dana Firas is a Jordanian princess and the wife of Prince Firas bin Ra'ad. She is a global advocate for heritage protection and preservation as a foundation for development, responsible tourism, identity and political participation, and peacebuilding. She is the wife of Prince Firas bin Ra'ad, the son of Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid and Princess Majda Ra'ad.
Zurab Pololikashvili is a Georgian politician and diplomat, currently serving as Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization. From 2005 to 2009 he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, and he served as ambassador to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra.
David P. Scowsill is a British businessman, and serial non-executive director and chairman, known for his contributions to the travel and tourism industries. He is the former President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council.
