A Fresh Perspective: Q&A with WHO Director-General Candidate Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Tedros, who would be the first African leader of the WHO, cites his leadership in reforming Ethiopia’s health system “in an environment that was resource-constrained with a heavy disease burden” as a key indicator of his ability to achieve results, and promises to bring a “fresh perspective” to WHO.

In this 4-part Q&A with GHN, the Director-General candidate discusses his background, the greatest global health threats, the changes that he will bring to WHO, the idea that the next DG should be from a low- or middle-income country, as well as his country’s record on human rights.

• Fresh Perspective: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Part I, May 9, 2017
  In this first installment, Tedros makes his case for being Director-General and explains how he would improve the WHO.
• Experience Over Geography: DG Candidate Tedros Adhanom’s Q&A, Part II, May 10, 2017
  In this second part of GHN's Q&A, Tedros says that while some have argued it is time for an African to lead the organization, he should be elected because of his skills and record. He also responds to criticism of the Ethiopian government’s record on human rights and shares his thoughts on lessons learned from West Africa’s Ebola outbreak.
• Goal Setter: DG Candidate Tedros Adhanom’s Q&A, Part III, May 11, 2017
  In this 3rd part of the GHN Q&A, Tedros explains how health system reforms in Ethiopia were carried out that helped lower HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria deaths, and the lessons he learned from the experience.
• Ready to Roll: DG Candidate Tedros Adhanom’s Q&A, Part IV, May 12, 2017
  In this final piece of GHN’s Q&A with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the DG candidate offers his take on the 3 greatest threats to global health and his plans to confront them (think universal health coverage) as well as the need for clear priorities for WHO and the role of politics in the global health arena.

   

See also the recent GHN Q&A series with DG candidates Sania Nishtar and David Nabarro.

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