The World Health Organisation Member-States Tuesday re-elected Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus to serve a second five-year term as Director-General of the world’s leading public health agency.

This is contained in a statement published on the WHO’s website.

Dr Tedros was first elected in 2017.

The statement partly read, “His re-election was confirmed during the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva. He was the sole candidate.

“Today’s vote was the culmination of an election process that began in April 2021 when Member-States were invited to submit proposals for candidates for the post of Director-General. The WHO Executive Board, meeting in January 2022, nominated Dr Tedros to stand for a second term.”

The statement said the DG’s second term officially commences on August 16, 2022. It also stated that a “Director-General can be re-appointed once, in accordance with World Health Assembly rules and procedures.”

Commenting on Tedros’ first term, the statement noted that, “Dr Tedros instituted a wide-ranging Transformation of the WHO, aimed at increasing the Organisation’s efficiency driving impact at country level to promote healthier lives, protect more people in emergencies and increase equitable access to health. He also guided WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the health impacts of multiple other humanitarian crises.

According to the statement, Tredos served as “Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia from 2012–2016 and as Minister of Health, Ethiopia from 2005–2012” before his first appointment as WHO DG.

“He had also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board; and as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health,” the statement added.