The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and UN Tourism, the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, have signed a partnership agreement solidifying the meeting industry’s commitment to sustainable development.

This landmark partnership agreement sees ICCA recognized as the UN Tourism partner for business events across all UN Tourism platforms and initiatives. This collaboration recognizes the influence and transformative potential of the business events industry and puts it on the map as a key driver for socio-economic progress across the world.

ICCA acknowledges it’s imperative to strengthen ties between the two organizations and has worked tirelessly as an organization for many years with the goal of creating this partnership for the pivotal role business events play as a driver of economic growth, and legacy initiatives worldwide.

During a time of international uncertainty, ICCA’s appointment as the UN Tourism’s chosen partner in the promotion of international meetings reasserts the shared belief in the transformative potential of cross-border collaboration.

“This collaboration with the UN Tourism has been a long-held strategy of ICCA. This is great news not just for our members but for the whole international associations meetings and events industry. We know how intrinsically linked the world of business events and tourism are, but this formal partnership gives us privileged access to each other’s communities,” said Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA. “There are many initiatives planned, which we will share in due course, including Hon Secretary General Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili opening our 63rd ICCA Congress in Abu Dhabi. The partnership agreement also signifies a closer alignment of our industry-leading programs. We have much to share, and much to learn. May this announcement mark the beginning of something quite remarkable.”

“The partnership between UN Tourism and ICCA recognizes the growing economic importance of business events for our sector. ICCA has been a valued Affiliate Member of UN Tourism since 2004, and our collaboration has yielded several joint publications and initiatives focused on advancing the meetings industry. With this new partnership, we look forward to shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for the business tourism sector,” said UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.