According to eTN sources, Mussalim Afandiyev surprisingly quit his high paying job at UNWTO after a falling out with Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
It was expected for him to re-settle to New York and represent UNWTO at the United Nations Headquarters.
Mussalim Afandiyev was often seen as the right-hand man for UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. Mr. Afandiyev is from Azerbaijan and was seen as a relatively senior politician in the Azerbaijani government. Insiders accused him of someone who was feared by many working at UNWTO.
According to confidential UNWTO sources, many saw Mr. Afandiyev as the “enforcer” for the Secretary-General. He started as a service contractor in 2018 and was paid EURO 4000.00 a month. In 2019 he was promoted by Mr. Zurab to an official position and earned EURO 8,000.00/ month. He was hired as a “director of reforms”, a position that was created with him in mind.
He had one of the highest positions in the UNWTO network. He was seen as a close friend to Mr.Pololikashvili.
eTN was unable to confirm the information with UNWTO.