Harry Theoharis Announces Candidacy for Secretary General of UN Tourism

Charles Ajunwa

With the slogan ‘reform to transform, unite to grow’, Harry Theoharis has officially launched his candidacy for the Secretary General of UN Tourism.

He announced this at the FITUR tourism conference in Madrid, Spain.

Theoharis, who has an impressive track record in organisational and technological transformation in the public sector, will be presenting his initiatives to improve the transparency, accountability and efficiency of UN Tourism to bring more value to member states and the global tourism community.

Introducing his candidacy, Theoharis said: “Together we will make UN Tourism prosperous and purposeful: an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative force for good that truly represents its Member States and drives positive change across the sector.”

As he addressed the issues of transparency and the divisions among the member-states that have undermined UN Tourism’s work and credibility in recent years, Theoharis presented himself as a bridge-builder determined to return the governance of UN Tourism to its members. 

“UN Tourism is an agency of the United Nations, and the Secretary General must serve the interests of the members before his or her own. I will ensure that the organs of governance fulfil their role freely, uniting and empowering Member States to pioneer bold policies for shared prosperity and maximize our contribution to reach the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. 

Theoharis’s first priority as Secretary-General, according to him, will be to reform the organisation to ensure greater transparency and accountability. This will be achieved through a series of initiatives to set clear, measurable governance standards and metrics, publish regular reports, conduct independent audits, and launch a centralised, publicly accessible platform that provides real-time data on project outcomes, financial performance, and progress against goals.