Tedros poised for re-election at WHO as support grows: diplomats
(VOVWORLD) - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has gained wide support for a second term as head of the World Health Organisation, formally nominated by at least 17 European Union members and backed by countries in other regions, diplomats said on Thursday.
 World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland, July 3, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS) |
As the deadline for nominations elapsed, diplomats said that they were unaware of any other names being put forward, suggesting that Tedros will stand unopposed in the May election.
Tedros, a former health and foreign minister of Ethiopia, has steered the UN agency through attacks on its handling of the crisis, which was sparked by a new coronavirus that emerged in China in late 2019 and has killed 4.9 million.
While the Trump administration accused Tedros of being "China-centric", charges he rejected, relations warmed with the Biden administration, especially after Tedros publicly said that further investigations were needed into the origins of the virus, including audits of China's laboratories, diplomats said.
At least 17 EU states have said they would submit his name for nomination, diplomats said, adding that the United States has not opposed his fresh term.