Dr. Taleb Rifai

Taleb Rifai

Secretary General UNWTO 2009-2017
Member of Advisory Council – AirBnB
Ambassador – World Travel and Tourism Council  (WTTC)
Member of the Royal consultative group for the Baptism site, Jordan
Member of Board of Trustees – Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF)
Patron – AfricanTourism Board (ATB)
Chairman – International Institute of peace for tourism (IIPT)
Chairman –International Tourism Investment Conference (ITIC)
Chairman – United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), CIFAL Malaga
Co-Chairman – International Tourism Resilience & Crises Management (ICTRCM)
Co-Chairman – Resilience Council London
Vice Chairman – Board of Trustees Middle East University (MEU) Jordan
Member of Board of Trustees – American University of Malta (AUM)
Vice Chairman – International Sports & Tourism Organization (ISTO)
Special Advisor- Adventure Travel and Tourism Asociation (ATTA)

Taleb Rifai was the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization  heading the (UNWTO) since 2009 for two consecutive terms, ending in January 2018. Mr. Rifai has an extensive background in international and national public service, the private sector and academia.
Before his election as Secretary General of the UNWTO, he was Assistant Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), based in Beirut and Geneva.

Prior to assuming his responsibilities as an International public servant ( 2004 – 2018 ) in Beirut, Geneva, ( ILO ) and Madrid ( UNWTO ), Mr Rifai held several Ministerial portfolios in the Government of The HK of Jordan (1999 – 2004). First as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, then in 2000 , Minister of Information and spokesman for the Government and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. As Minister of information, he led the major restructuring of Jordan Television (JTV).

Prior to his ministerial responsibilities , Mr Rifai was CEO of Jordan’s Cement Company ( 1997 – 1999). As CEO of Jordan’s Cement Company, he successfully led the first large-scale privatization and restructuring scheme in Jordan during the 1990’s.

From 1995 to 1997 he was the first Director General of the newly established Investment Promotion Corporation of Jordan, after having served from 1993 to 1995 as the Director of the newly established Economic Mission of Jordan to the USA in Washington DC.

As an Architect and Urban planner, Mr. Rifai’s career for 20 years (1973 – 1993) was in Academia. As such he had the opportunity to teach at universities both in the USA and Jordan, where he helped establish the  first Department of Architecture in Jordan at the newly established School of Engineering at the University of Jordan and consequently became the Director of  “The Center of Consultations and Studies”  at the University of Jordan.

Mr Rifai has a Ph.D. in Urban Design and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA,  1982, an M.A. in Engineering and Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology,  IIT in Chicago, USA, 1979, and a BS.c. in Architectural Engineering from. the University of Cairo in Egypt 1973.
Taleb Rifai is a Jordanian, born on January 15 , 1949 in Cairo, Egypt. He is married to Nisrine Shawwa. They have 5 children: Nadine, Zeina, Zuhair, Hamzah and Sara.

ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS

Spain
ORDEN DE ISABEL LA CATOLICA
October 2017

Japan
ORDER OF THE RISING SUN
January 2019

Mexico
ORDER OF THE AGUILA AZTECA
October 2017

Azerbaijan
ORDER OF DOSTLUQ
May 2017

France
LÓRDEN NATIONAL DE MERITE “OFFICER”
2004

Jordan
ISTIQLAA 1ST DEGREE
1995
KAWKAB 1ST DEGREE
2002

Saudi Arabia
Order of King Abdelaziz medal of the first degree
December 2017

Italy
ORDER OF MERIT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC 1ST TYPE, KNIGHT GRAND CROS
2002

Palestine
Order of Merit and Golden Excellence
March 2018

San Marino
ORDER OF SAINT AGATHA
Sept 2015

Kenya
ELDER OF THE GOLDEN HEART 1ST CLASS
June 2017

Sudan
ORDER OF AL-NEILLAIN  1ST CLASS
November 2016

El Salvador
CONDECORACION DEL LIBERTADOR DE LOS ESCLAVOS JOSE SIMEON CAÑAS, GRADO DE GRAN CRUZ PLACA ORO
May 2017

Honduras
ORDEN DE FRANSISCO MORAZAN “GRAN OFICIAL”
May 2017

Georgia
ORDER OF HONOR MEDAL
April 2017

Mali
ORDER NATIONAL DE MALI
May 2016