The World Health Organization’s current director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is the only candidate proposed to lead the organization over the next five years, the agency said in a press release Friday. Tedros has served in the role since 2017, when he became the first person from the African continent to lead the agency.
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The appointment of the next director-general is expected to take place next May at the World Health Assembly — but following a period for countries to submit proposals of candidates, Tedros was the only candidate named in proposals from 28 countries. This would be Tedros’ second term.
The agency said Tedros will be screened and interviewed in January by WHO’s executive board, and then the decision for the nomination will be decided by secret ballot.
Tedros has risen in prominence in his role at the helm of the global health body as the public face of its response to the largest health crisis in the agency’s history: the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time, he has been a tireless advocate for COVID-19 vaccine equity, calling on high-income nations and pharmaceutical companies to prioritize access for low- and middle-income countries.
Tedros calls out 'me-first' approach to COVID-19 vaccines: 'This is wrong'
WHO’s director-general said rich countries are bypassing the COVAX facility with bilateral vaccine deals that undermine equitable access.
“I may sound like a broken record. I don't care. I will continue to call for vaccine equity until we get it,” he said in September.
He has also led the agency through the second largest Ebola crisis, which occured in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He recently apologized and took responsibility for the sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers employed by WHO that occurred during this outbreak.
His leadership has received criticism for the agency’s relationship with China, with the former United States President Donald Trump calling WHO a “puppet” of the country. Relations with the U.S. have since improved under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Ethiopia did not nominate Tedros, even though he is from the country and formerly served as its health and foreign affairs minister. He has openly criticized the ongoing conflict in the country’s northern region of Tigray. In May, he called the conflict “very horrific,” and said he doesn’t think Tigray’s scale of sexual violence exists anywhere else in the world. But other African countries including Botswana, Kenya, and Rwanda did put forward Tedros’ name as a candidate.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
