Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus set to stay on as WHO chief

PBC News: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, one of the most prominent figures during the Covid-19 pandemic, is the sole candidate to lead the World Health Organization once his current term expires, the WHO announced Friday.

In his application letter, the Ethiopian former health and foreign minister said Covid-19 had “ravaged the world” and in a second term, he wanted to make sure the planet was “truly ready” to deal with another such crisis.
Elected to the WHO leadership in 2017, his five-year mandate runs out in August.

“A single candidate was proposed by member states by the September 23, 2021 deadline: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,” the WHO said in a statement.

Tedros was nominated by 28 countries, the UN health agency said.

Seventeen European Union members gave him their backing, including Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Germany and Spain’s nominations said strengthening the WHO in the wake of the pandemic “must continue with full and undivided commitment”, saying the organisation needed “strong, pragmatic and visionary leadership”.

Outside the EU, Bahrain, Barbados, Botswana, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Oman, Rwanda, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago proposed Tedros, the WHO statement showed.

Indonesia said the world was still overcoming the pandemic “and needs a continued leadership within the WHO”.

Kenya, Oman and Rwanda said it was their deep belief that Tedros “is ideally placed to continue in the role”.
– Infuriating Trump and China – Tedros, 56, graduated with a biology degree in his homeland before completing a masters in immunology of infectious diseases and a doctorate in community health in Britain.