WTO Changes Acronym to UNWTO

The frequent confusion between the two WTOs - World Tourism Organization and the Geneva-based World Trade Organization - officially ended last week when the General Assembly approved to add the letters UN (for United Nations) to the start of acronym of the international tourism body in English and in Russian.

The problem –especially for the media- came up when the name World Trade Organization was adopted and with it the acronym WTO in English, a problem that did not arise in other languages where “trade” translated as “commerce” and it became the OMC.

“Various suggestions were put forward, including attaching the French or Spanish acronym to the English to make WTO/OMT, or follow the practice used by the United Nations Secretariat which refers to WTO (Trade) and WTO (Tourism),” said Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli.

Although the World Trade Organization also belongs to the United Nations system, it is only a “related agency”, the same status held by the World Tourism Organization before becoming a specialized agency.