# I pit the UN for appointing Mugabe as tourism envoy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [May 30, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544 "2012-05-30T14:26:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544/1 "2012-05-30T14:26:02Z")

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[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0530/Why-Zimbabwe-s-President-Mugabe-was-named-UN-tourism-envoy](http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0530/Why-Zimbabwe-s-President-Mugabe-was-named-UN-tourism-envoy)

Really? They appointed a known torturer to an official position? This is a complete smack to the face to anyone who has suffered or been brutally murdered under his regime.

What the hell is going on at the UN?

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544/2 "2012-05-30T14:36:15Z")

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Umm, it’s the UN - giving tyrants a platform is kind of their thing.

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**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544/3 "2012-05-31T08:08:23Z")

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Weeeelll.. I read about this in [The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/29/robert-mugabe-un-international-envoy-tourism) and was similarly outraged until I read to the end of the article:

> [@](#):
>
> UNWTO, which has headquarters in Madrid, insisted that it had not awarded Mugabe an official title. Sandra Carvao, its co-ordinator of communications, said: “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.”
> 
> She added: “**UNWTO does not have an ambassadors programme and the receiving of the UNWTO/WTTC [World Travel and Tourism Council] open letter implies no legal commitment or title attribution to the country or the head of state or government in question**.”

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**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-un-for-appointing-mugabe-as-tourism-envoy/623544/4 "2012-05-31T08:46:28Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> UNWTO, which has headquarters in Madrid, insisted that it had not awarded Mugabe an official title. Sandra Carvao, its co-ordinator of communications, said: “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.”

If they wanted Mugabe to foster sustainable development in his country, they should have sent him a pistol and a single bullet.