Congratulatory Remarks
by H.E. Cho Tae-yul
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
at the Ceremony for the Adoption
of the Agreement for Establishing
the International ST-EP Organization

March 28, 2016

Dr. Kim Jong-deok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism,
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of UNWTO,
Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Chairperson of UNWTO ST-EP Foundation,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to join you today in this memorable event organized to celebrate the adoption of the Agreement for Establishing the International ST-EP Organization.

I am especially pleased to meet my old friend Secretary-General Rifai on such a special occasion as this one. Dr. Rifai, once our rival candidate during the election campaign for the position of Secretary-General of UNWTO back in 2009, has now become one of Korea's closest friends. As Korean Ambassador to Spain, where the headquarters of UNWTO is located, I worked so hard for the then Korean candidate to defeat Dr. Rifai in the election and became one of the most annoying people to him. But it did not take too long for the two of us to become friends. Since then, he has remained Korea’s strongest supporter in all our efforts at UNWTO including our joint venture leading up to this event today.

With all due respect, however, today’s luminary is no other than Ambassador Dho Young-shim. Ambassador Dho was active in politics as a member of the National Assembly at the times when there were only a handful of female politicians in Korea. Having served as Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural Cooperation, she is also family to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And today she is even more active in diplomacy as a non-career diplomat. Had it not been for Ambassador Dho, not only would have it been difficult to secure the very existence of the ST-EP Foundation, but perhaps today’s event might not have come to fruition, either.

So, I would like to deeply thank Ambassador Dho and Secretary-General Rifai for their hard work and dedication that led to the achievement we are witnessing today. As I have been working together with both of them since my days in Madrid, today’s event holds very special meaning for me personally and I share with them a great joy in this celebration.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you are well aware, the International ST-EP Organization is an institution that has developed from the ST-EP Foundation, a private organization that has been ardently pursuing projects for promoting sustainable tourism in developing countries, such as the Thank You Small Library Initiative and the Millennium Villages Project.

As it came of age, however, there were growing needs for initiatives with greater impact, which, in turn, served as an impetus to develop the foundation into an international organization independent from UNWTO. To meet these calls, a series of deliberations have been held at UNWTO, and a resolution approving the establishment of the International ST-EP Organization was adopted at the 20th UNWTO General Assembly on August 20, 2013.

I would like to emphasize first and foremost that the International ST-EP Organization is a novel and innovative international organization that aims to eradicate poverty and address inequalities by means of sustainable tourism. As an old saying goes, “Tourism is like a factory without chimneys.” Sustainable tourism can contribute greatly to creating income and stable employment, as well as to improving the quality of life.

The Republic of Korea is a country that has transformed itself from an aid recipient into a full-fledged donor country in a span of only half a century. In this regard, hosting the International ST-EP Organization, an organization committed to development cooperation as its core mission, holds special meaning for Korea.

Currently, seven international organizations have their headquarters or secretariat in Korea. And by hosting the International ST-EP Organization, Korea has taken another meaningful step forward to contribute to promoting the global common good. I can assure you that the Korean Government will provide all the necessary support for the early launch of the International ST-EP Organization.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s event is the first step towards the full operation of the International ST-EP Organization. As illustrated by the Korean proverb “Starting is half the task”, starting a new initiative is as difficult as it is important. But since we are now taking the most difficult first step, I am convinced that everything from now on will proceed smoothly and rapidly.

Going forward, the remaining step is for each participant State to sign and ratify the Agreement according to its respective domestic procedures. I hope and expect that all the participating countries represented here today will move quickly to sign and ratify the Agreement so that the International ST-EP Organization can be officially launched at the earliest possible date and fulfill its mission as efficiently as possible.

I would like to conclude my brief remarks by wishing the International ST-EP Organization a great start and continued success.

Thank you.