Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 24 May 2017

Ethiopia’s Tedros to be next leader of UN health agency

JAMEY KEATEN the first non-American to
MARIA CHENG receive the Jimmy and Ro-
Associated Press salynn Carter Humanitar-
GENEVA (AP) — Africa, ian Award. The next year,
where deadly viruses such Wired magazine listed him
as HIV, Ebola and Zika as “One of 50 people who
emerged, has its first chief will change the world.”
of the U.N. health agency. Tedros served as Ethiopia’s
Tedros Adhanom Ghe- Minister of Health from
breyesus, a former Ethio- 2005 to 2012, then as its for-
pian minister of health, eign minister for four years.
was elected Tuesday as As health minister, he drew
the next director-general praise for strengthening
of the World Health Orga- Ethiopia’s health care
nization, becoming the first workforce.
non-medical doctor and “Tedros is an excellent
the first African tapped to choice to lead WHO,” said
lead an influential agency Dr. Thomas Frieden, an ex-
that helps set health priori- director of the U.S. Centers
ties worldwide. for Disease Control and
Health ministers and other Prevention. “He succeed-
senior envoys to WHO’s an- ed in Ethiopia, making re-
nual World Health Assem- markable health progress
bly elected Tedros over Dr. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia, newly elected as Director General of the World by rapidly reforming a scle-
David Nabarro of Britain, Health Organization (WHO) receives his contract during the 70th World Health Assembly at the rotic bureaucracy and im-
European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
a U.N. veteran, in a third Associated Press plementing effective com-
and final round of voting. munity-based services.”
Tedros received 133 votes ment.” that affect billions of peo- “commit to further enhanc- Still, Tedros’ candidacy
to Nabarro’s 50, with two “This election has been ple and declaring when ing the transparency and also drew controversy. He
abstentions. The third can- unprecedented in that disease outbreaks evolve accountability” and carry recently drew fire for alleg-
didate, Pakistan’s Dr. Sania it brought transparency into global emergencies. out reforms under Tedros’ edly covering up cholera
Nishtar, was eliminated in to the organization, and The agency has stumbled five-year term. outbreaks in Ethiopia.
the first round of voting. even greater legitimacy in recent years, most no- Billionaire philanthropist Mi- Critics say he worked for an
Tedros will become the to the director-general,” tably in its error-prone re- chael Bloomberg, a WHO authoritarian government
eighth director-general of Tedros said. “I will exercise sponse to the 2014 Ebola Global Ambassador for that has killed hundreds
the U.N. agency founded this legitimacy to bring the outbreak in West Africa. non-communicable diseas- of anti-government pro-
in 1948, and the first elect- change and reform we All three candidates had es, said he looked forward testers and has imposed a
ed in a competitive race need for this noble orga- vowed to overhaul the to working with Tedros on is- strict state of emergency.
before the full assembly. nization to reclaim its trust agency to restore cred- sues like tobacco use, road About 200 protesters dem-
Previous WHO chiefs were from member states and ibility. Of the U.N. health safety and the prevention onstrated Monday against
selected by the agency’s from every citizen of the agency’s 194 member of drowning. his bid outside the U.N.’s
executive board, and the world.” states, 185 were eligible to GAVI, the Vaccine Alli- Geneva offices.
assembly’s approval was Ethiopian supporters cast ballots. Nine others ei- ance, hailed Tedros’ “com- African delegations mostly
essentially a rubber stamp. hugged and high-fived ther were in arrears on their mitment to immunization,” displayed pride about their
In his victory speech, Tedros each other after the an- dues or not represented at noting the boosting vacci- first WHO chief.
noted it was “challenging nouncement. Tedros, who the gathering. nation rates in Ethiopia. Jean-Marie Ehouzou, the
times for global health” but prefers to go by his first Health and Human Ser- Tedros’ resume says he African Union’s top en-
added that “all roads lead name, will succeed Dr. vices Secretary Tom Price holds a doctorate in com- voy in Geneva, expressed
to universal health cover- Margaret Chan of China, of the United States, a key munity health and a mas- “happiness, happiness,
age,” calling it his central who is ending her 10-year WHO donor, attended the ter of science in immunol- happiness” at the result.
priority. He said only about tenure on June 30. assembly and joined an ogy of infectious diseases. “It’s not only a question of
half of the world’s popula- The WHO director-general outpouring of congratula- He’s been recognized for symbolism,” he said, cit-
tion has access to health wields considerable power tory messages. Price also his study of malaria in Ethio- ing him as African govern-
care “without impoverish- in setting medical priorities urged WHO nations to pia, and in 2011 became ments’ choice.q