Ethiopian doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African to lead the World Health Organization (WHO), thanked his re-election for five years on Tuesday, remembering his childhood as a “child of war” and called for peace.
Source: AFP
The die was almost cast before the secret ballot at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, in which Tedros was the only candidate in contention.
“I am proud to be in the WHO,” said the director general, who thanked the country representatives for their “trust.” According to various sources, the doctor obtained 155 votes in favor and five against.
At 57, this familiar face of the fight against covid, Dr. Tedros, as he likes to be called, is a malaria specialist, graduate in immunology and doctor of community health, who was Minister of Health and Foreign Affairs of his country.
A man of peace is said to have had a childhood immersed in war. But his first term was above all marked by the battle against covid, with its successes and his failures.
“This pandemic was unprecedented and we had to build the ship while we were sailing,” Thedros acknowledged. “I hope that we will be able to prevent the next pandemic or manage it as effectively as possible,” he added.
He also wanted to pay tribute to his colleagues and claimed to have seen them “work hard and in good faith” during the worst pandemic in a century.
PRIORITIES
The director general outlined his priorities to the assembly: placing primary care at the center of universal health coverage, emergency preparedness and response, and tools to better prevent and cure. He also expressed a promise to “reinforce constant improvement of the WHO.”
Loyce Pace, representative of the United States government, reminded the CEO that it is not about resting on our laurels.
“To tell the truth, much remains to be done to modernize the WHO to be more effective and responsive,” he declared, expressing a sentiment shared by many members.
The arrival of Democrat Joe Biden in the White House, which marked the return of the United States to the WHO, gave it a new impetus after being constantly attacked by Donald Trump, who had cut funding to the organization, which he accused of mismanage the pandemic.
Tedros’ critical tone towards China, which he believes is not transparent enough about the origin of the pandemic, has earned him some rebukes from Beijing, but the Asian giant still supported his re-election.
Tedros is highly appreciated, especially by Africans, for having made the international community look more towards that continent, especially during the pandemic.
However, his own country accused him of having “abused his functions” after comments on the humanitarian situation in Tigray.
A sexual violence scandal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo involving employees of his organization earned him a salvo of criticism from several member countries, who felt his response was too soft.
“A CHILD OF WAR”
His acceptance speech was marked by emotion and by his personal account of the war.
“I am a child of war,” repeated Tedros, who recalled his childhood in poverty and the memories of his brother’s death due to lack of medication.
He also referred to a recent trip to Ukraine where the destruction left behind by the Russian invasion reminded him of his own history.
“When I saw the children, the images of more than 50 years ago came back to my mind, so clear that I was tormented by the sounds of war, the images of war,” he said.
“I do not want this to happen to any person and for this I hope that peace will come,” he added.
