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WHO elects Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus first African director-general
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WHO has elected former Ethiopian minister of health and minister of foreign affairs Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, its director-general, making him the first African to hold the position.
Tedros, who has also served as chair of the UNAIDS program coordinating board, was chosen from among three finalists. He starts his 5-year term on July 1.
Each finalist gave a 15-minute speech on his or her qualifications and goals just before the World Health Assembly — WHO’s governing body — voted at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In his speech, Tedros made five promises he said he would keep if elected.
“I will work tirelessly to fulfill WHO’s promise of universal health coverage,” he said. “I will ensure robust responses to the health emergencies to come. I will strengthen the front lines of health [care] and ensure country ownership. I will place accountability, transparency and continuous improvement at the heart of WHO’s culture.”
Tedros addressed several global infectious disease threats.
“We have made promising progress in HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical and other communicable diseases, but they persist as a major cause of disease and suffering still,” he said. He added that officials must aim to completely eliminate polio from the planet and discussed other health issues.
“Mental health [problems] and their stigma continue to afflict communities,” Tedros said. “Noncommunicable diseases are now the largest cause of global disease ... obesity, smoking, poor diets, sedentary lifestyles. It’s the perfect storm — a storm but a silent killer in the making, affecting all regions and all income levels. It’s costing us dearly today and will only worsen if we don’t shift the trajectory.”
Tedros also stressed the importance of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care; addressing the health needs of women, children and adolescents; and taking on gender-based violence.
Among other positions, Tedros served from 2009 to 2011 as chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2012 and 2013, he co-chaired the Child Survival Conference, a meeting co-hosted by Ethiopia, India, UNICEF and USAID.
The other finalists in the World Health Assembly vote included David N. Nabarro, MSc, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and a current special advisor to the U.N. secretary-general, and Sania Nishtar, PhD, also a Royal College fellow and a former federal minister for Pakistan on health and other areas.
Tedros will replace current Director-General Margaret Chan, MD, who has led WHO since Jan. 1, 2007. – by Joe Green