The World Health Organization re-elected Tedros Ghebreyesus as the chief. As per the reports, he received the majority of the votes from the members to continue his duty for the next 5 years. Because Tedros was the only candidate competing, the secret ballot voting was merely a formality. Ministers and delegations took turns congratulating Tedros, Ethiopia’s former health minister.
Tedros Ghebreyesus thanked the assembly for their votes. He showed gratitude towards them by saying, “I am really, really overwhelmed by the support. This recognition is not only for me. I really believe this is recognition for the whole WHO family. I am really proud to be WHO.”
Tedros Ghebreyesus: “We are learning”
Speaking to the assembly, Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “this pandemic has been very unprecedented and many lessons that we should learn and we are learning. But, at the same time, we cannot just pause, learn and implement…instead of pausing to learn, we’re saying while learning let’s implement.”
While speaking about the present Ukraine conflict and sharing some personal stories, Tedros got emotional. “When I visited Ukraine when I saw especially the kids. It was the image from more than 50 years ago that came to my mind, so visible, so hounding. The smell, sound, and image of war. That is what I don’t want to happen to anyone,” Tedros continued.
The initial tenure in office for Tedros Ghebreyesus was tumultuous, as he dealt with a slew of additional difficulties, including a sexual abuse scandal involving WHO personnel in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tedros has gained widespread support despite facing some criticism. African countries, in particular, have praised his dedication to the region and his tireless battle to ensure that poorer countries get an amount of COVID-19 vaccinations. Those concerns appear to have fallen flat, and Tedros now has a solid mandate to begin his second term.