African Ministers back Ethiopian FM’s candidature to WHO post
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
May 24, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Dozens of African Health Ministers support Ethiopian foreign Minister, Tedros’ Adhanom, in his candidature for a top post at the World Health Organization (WHO).
In statement issued Monday, Ethiopian’s ministry of foreign affairs said health Ministers of more than 30 African countries have pledged to support the Ethiopian minister.
“Given the merits of Dr Tedros, what excuses do we have not to support his candidature?” said African Union’s Commissioner for Social Affairs, Mustapha Kaloko at a special dinner reception in held in Geneva.
“Dr Tedros is a person WHO needs most to move forward with its reform agenda” Kaloko added.
Gambia’s Health Minister described Dr Tedros as a candidate who hails an academic background and a proven public service record and a researcher that is capable of pushing for reform in WHO operations.
Tanzania’s Health Minister made a moving remark where she said, Tanzania will stand by the candidate who is our own African son as Nyreee would have it.
Tedros had previously served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health for seven years before he assumed his post as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2012.
Dr Kesetebirahn Admasu, Ethiopia’s Health Minister, shared the gathering his intimate experience describing his long-time colleague as a man of profound humbleness and humility.
He cited some of the success stories of Ethiopia’s health under Dr Tedros’s leadership anong others mentioning those 3,500 health centers built and 16,000 health posts in less than seven years time.
He also mentioned the role he played in mosquito net distribution in Ethiopia.
“Until 2005, Ethiopia’s total distribution of mosquito nets was 500,000. However, Dr Tedros had the audacity to aim leap frog the number to 20, 000, 000,” said the Ethiopian health minister.
“In less than two years Ethiopia managed to distribute 18,000,000 mosquito nets which is an unprecedented coverage in any part of the world, Dr Kesetebirahn said adding “Africa is not presenting only an African candidate, but an able candidate ”
At the occasion, health Ministers of Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Sudan were among the Ministers who made a strong reformation of support to his candidacy.
In the past, he Ethiopian foreign minister had served in a number of expert and leadership positions in both federal and regional government,
After becoming minister of health, Tedros introduced multiple popular programs including the introduction of the 30,000-strong health extension workers program that focuses on child and maternal mortality.
Tedros dedicated his career to public service and scientific research on health concerns.
He is also a globally recognized researcher on Malaria and has written and published numerous studies on the subject in scientific publications, including Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, The Lancet, and Nature and Parasitologia.
Tedros has won many international awards including the ‘Young Investigator of the Year’ award from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
He was also the first non-American recipient of the “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award”, in 2011.
The election for the WHO Director General post is scheduled for May 2017 during the 70th session of the WHO Assembly.
(ST)