WHA75: Ghebreyesus re-elected as WHO director – general

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has been re-elected for another five-year term of office.

Mr Ghebreyesus was re-elected at the ongoing 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) which is holding in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr Ghebreyesus, who was first elected in 2017, will officially commence his new mandate on August 16, 2022.

The president of the 75th assembly, Ahmed Abdilleh, said the Health Assembly adopted in a private session the resolution approving the contract of the director-general.

He said: “According to the article 31 of the constitution and rule 109 of the rules of procedure of the World Health Assembly, the assembly approves the contract establishing the terms and conditions of appointment, salary and other emoluments for the post of director-general as amended.

“Pursuant to rule 112 of the rules of procedure of the World Health Assembly, the assembly authorises the president of the 75th World Health Assembly to sign the contract in the name of the organisation.”

He then invited Mr Ghebreyesus to take the oath, quoting staff regulations 1.10 and 1.11 in pursuance of article 37 of the Constitution.

Appreciation

After signing the contract, the WHO director-general expressed his appreciation for the re-election and highlighted three priorities for the next tenure.

He said: “Very difficult to express my words. Thank you so much indeed. This is overwhelming. I’m grateful and very humbled for your confidence and trust.

“We have already presented this, it’s to promote health and keeping people healthy should be at the centre. Managing diseases should not be the centre. Of course, people will be seeking how that has to be managed but we have to focus on promoting health. That’s number one.

“Number two, we have to focus on primary health care. This centre of universal health coverage, its foundation should be primary health care. The third priority on emergency preparedness is dependent on the first to focus on health promotion, disease prevention,

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“And then I hope we will be able to prevent the next pandemic or manage it as efficiently as possible.”

About Tedros Ghebreyesus

According to the information provided on the WHO official website, Mr Ghebreyesus was elected WHO Director-General for a five-year term by the WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017.

He is the first WHO Director-General elected from among multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly and the first person from the WHO African Region to head the world’s leading public health agency.

Born in the Eritrean city of Asmara, Mr Tedros graduated from the University of Asmara with a Bachelor of Biology, before earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London, a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Following his studies, Mr Tedros returned to Ethiopia to support the delivery of health services, first working as a field-level malariologist, before heading a regional health service and later serving in Ethiopia’s federal government for over a decade as Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

About World Health Assembly

The WHA is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The main function of the assembly is to determine the policies of the organisation, appoint the director-general, supervise financial policies and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

At this year’s assembly, the first five-year tenure of the incumbent director-general will end, and he has been re-elected for another five-year term.