Geneva, October 29 (BNA) – The World Health Organization said today, Friday, that its Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is running uncontested for a second five-year term.
The United Nations health agency made the announcement after the deadline for nominations for the next term expired on September 23. The official selection of the next director-general will take place at the next assembly of the World Health Organization in May.
Tedros, an Ethiopian national who is the first African to head the World Health Organization, oversaw the agency’s complex response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has overshadowed his tenure. Trained in biology and infectious diseases with a doctorate in community health, he is also the first head of the World Health Organization who is not a physician.
Tedros, a former health and foreign minister from Ethiopia, garnered a strong endorsement when France and Germany announced their support for him shortly after the nomination period closed.
AOQ