GENEVA, May 24 (Reuters) – Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) re-elect Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as director general by a strong majority for another five years, the president of the World Assembly said on Tuesday of Health.
The secret ballot, announced by Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh of Djibouti at a major annual meeting, was seen as a formality as Tedros was the only candidate running.
Ministers and delegates turned to shake hands and embrace Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister who has led the UN agency in a turbulent period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The president had to use a hammer several times to interrupt the applause.
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Addressing the assembly shortly after his re-election, Tedros said WHO’s focus will be on emergency preparedness and agency improvement.
“This pandemic has been very unprecedented and many lessons we should learn and we are learning. But at the same time, we can’t pause, learn and implement … instead of stopping to learn, we are saying that while we learn we implement. “
The newly re-elected WHO chief mourned as he spoke about the current crisis in Ukraine and the death of his younger brother from a childhood illness amid war and poverty decades ago.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks after his re-election at the 75th World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 24, 2022 REUTERS / Denis Balibouse
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“When I visited Ukraine when I saw children in particular … It was the image of more than 50 years ago that came to my mind, so visible, so persecuted. The smell, the sound and the image of war This is what I have “I don’t want it to happen to anyone”.
Several countries, such as Germany and the United States, soon congratulated each other.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach tweeted that Tedros got 155 out of 160 votes, calling it a spectacular result. “Congratulations, totally deserved.”
Germany recently overtook the United States as the largest donor to the UN health agency.
However, Tedros’ candidacy for the second term did not receive support from his native Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict. Ethiopia’s envoy to the assembly made it clear that Botswana’s statement congratulating Tedros did not represent the 47 countries in the African group.
“The established working method of the African group is to work by consensus. I would like to point out that there was no consensus. Therefore, the distinguished representative of Botswana cannot make the statement on behalf of the African group.”
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Report by Jennifer Rigby, Emma Farge and Mrinalika Roy; Additional report by Paul Carrel; Edited by Catherine Evans
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