Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Elected as Director General of WHO

Former Ethiopian Health Minister Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been elected as the new Director-General of the World Health Organisation. This election has earned the distinction of being the first election which saw the participation of all WHO member states in the voting process. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defeated the other two contendors to the post, namely, UK’s Dr David Nabarro and Pakistan’s Dr Sania Nishtar.

The head of the organization is the Director-General (DG), appointed by the World Health Assembly.

Earlier stincts of Dr Tedros includes the post of Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Minister (2012-2016) and Health Minister (2005-2012). He has also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Also as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board, as well as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
During his tenure at the helm of WHO, Dr Tedros will have to tackle challenges like the spread of the Zika virus and Ebola, along with existing challenges posed by Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, to name a few. WHO is also at present facing the financial challenges as a result of the squeeze on donor funds.

WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, it succeeded the Health Organization, which was an agency of the League of Nations. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and its headquarters are located at Geneva. WHO flag features the Rod of Asclepius as a symbol for healing.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2017