The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialized intergovernmental agency of the UN system, uniting 156 member countries. UNWTO operates on the basis of the Charter and the Financial Rules attached to it, which entered into force on January 2, 1975. Russia, as the successor of the former USSR, has been a member of UNWTO since 1975. The highest governing body of the UNWTO is the biennial General Assembly.