Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was named the first African Director-General of the World Health Organisation during its 70th World Health Assembly. Having served in the Government of Ethiopia in two portfolios first as Minister of Health and then as Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Tedros contributed to international development. He brings to the WHO valuable experience and networks that are critical at a time of transition that requires experience in public health and diplomacy to marshal resources from WHO Member States and international development partners.

‘With WHO we will ensure that within the next two years we strengthen early warning, detection and response systems to diseases outbreaks. This includes ensuring that our existing surveillance and laboratory networks are enhanced’ said Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention ‘Establishing a rapid response team to address health threats, supplemented with a continent-wide Africa Health Volunteers Corps are among my key priorities’ he added.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus served as the Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and the Coordinating Board of UNAIDS. He was the Co-Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and served on the Boards of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and the Stop TB Partnership.

He is a respected leader who has committed his life to tackling complex global health challenges, from strengthening health systems and ending diseases such as AIDS, TB and Malaria. As Ethiopia’s Minister of Health and a passionate advocate for universal health care, Dr. Tedros transformed Ethiopia’s health system to expand quality care and access to millions of Ethiopians, including training and deploying more than 40,000 health extension workers to some of the most remote and hardest to reach areas. Dr. Tedros brings to the WHO his experience in providing practical solutions to domestic health challenges and his strong experience in global health diplomacy. This wealth of experience is unparralled in ensuring that WHO delivers on its mandate.

The new Director-General comes at a critical juncture when the WHO is undergoing a period of transition and is undertaking major efforts to improve its ability to respond to health emergencies including emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, non-communicable diseases and the health impacts of climate change.