Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia has been re-elected as the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) Director-General for a second five-year term.
Because Ghebreyesus was the only candidate, the outcome of the secret ballot was a formality.
Ghebreyesus tweeted; “Humbled & honoured to be elected to serve a 2nd term as @WHO Director-General. I’m deeply grateful for the trust & confidence of Member States. I thank all #healthworkers & my @WHO colleagues around the 🌍. I look forward to continuing our journey together. #ProudToBeWHO #WHA75”
Dr Tedros, who has led the global response to the Covid pandemic, opened the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, saying coronavirus had turned the world upside down, leaving many suffering.
While fighting back tears, he also called for an end to war, which he described as “shaking and shattering the foundations on which previously stable societies stood.”
He recalled his own firsthand experience as a child of war in Ethiopia, which is currently experiencing civil war in its northern Tigray region, where he was born.
The 57-year-old has been at odds with Ethiopia’s government after the government accused him of supporting Tigrayan forces, which he has previously denied.
Before being elected to lead the WHO, he served as Ethiopia’s health minister during which he was praised for his efforts in controlling diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS and foreign minister.