29 May, 2017
"The new head of the World Health Organization doesn't believe the Trump administration's calls to slash funding for global aid and United Nations agencies like his is a "closed issue.' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian ex-health minister, said he was looking forward to further talks with the U.S., WHO's biggest donor".
After three rounds of a secret ballot, emerged as the victor with 133 votes against 50 votes for the British candidate, Dr. David Nabarro.
Tedros was nominated by the Government of Ethiopia, where he previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia from 2012-2016 and as Minister of Health, Ethiopia from 2005-2012.
Tedros beat Britain's David Nabarro and Pakistan's Sania Nishtar after three successive rounds of voting.
This is the first time an African has been appointed as World Health Organization director-general.
As minister of health in Ethiopia, Tedros led a comprehensive reform of the country's health system, creating 3,500 health centres and 16,000 health posts. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he led the effort to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He has also chaired the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership board, and co-chaired the board of the Partnership for Maternal, New-born and Child Health. In these roles he secured record funding for of the Global Fund and RBM and created the Global Malaria Action Plan, which expanded RBM's reach beyond Africa to Asia and Latin America.
Tedros pledged to make universal health coverage the centerpiece of his five-year mandate, reminding that public health should be understood as a way to development. The Secretary shared his vision for the WHO as a place that can attract the most talented individuals from around the world with state-of-the-art expertise to advance the WHO's mission of enhancing the public health - including defeating diseases like polio - as well as addressing potential and actual health emergencies.
Ghebreyesus will succeed outgoing World Health Organization boss Margaret Chan who has been Director General since 2007. He takes over from Margaret Chan who in her two-term stint since January 2007 oversaw global public health crises such as H1N1 (swine flu) and Ebola, more recently.
