Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 16 October, in order to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors to achieve common goals, a Plenary Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Affiliate Members was organized, attended by representatives of private companies, tourist destinations, and civil society.

The main theme of the session was "Tourism Development through Public-Private Sector Cooperation," during which over 100 affiliate members discussed the key results achieved since the last session, analyzed the development and achievements in the field of expansion strategy aimed at ensuring quality and geographically balanced membership, and exchanged information and proposals for future projects and collaboration.

The Department of Affiliate Members presented the UNWTO work plan for the period 2024-2025. Selected members of the organization were given the opportunity to deliver a presentation on the main stage and provide more detailed information about the projects and initiatives that will be implemented in the near future with the support of the Department.

The session also included an awards ceremony to honor long-standing members of the organization for their invaluable contribution to the successful fulfillment of the Organization’s mission for over 30 years. Among the awardees, 12 Affiliate Members were recognized in the bronze category (over 30 years of membership), 14 in the silver category (over 40 years of membership), and 1 in the gold category (50 years of membership).

The participants of the meeting were also introduced to a new upgraded platform that will be launched soon. The platform is designed to provide a more interactive and dynamic interaction with its services and improve communication and collaboration among affiliate members.

The Plenary Session served as an excellent platform to share the opportunities that lie ahead for Affiliate Members to further engage with the UNWTO, particularly in two main priority areas: education and tourist protection. Giving special attention to these issues was an important step in immersing the members of the organization in the Organization’s current agenda.

For reference, the Plenary Session of Affiliate Members is the most significant statutory meeting of the organization and took place for the 44th time within the framework of the 25th UNWTO General Assembly.