'Pandemic Backtrack' WHO Secretary-General's Reappointment Virtually Confirmed

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), who has been embroiled in controversy over inadequate COVID-19 response, has effectively secured his reappointment.

The WHO Executive Board announced on the 25th (local time) that it had nominated the current Director-General Ghebreyesus as the sole candidate in the vote for the Director-General candidacy. Since he is the only candidate, his reappointment is widely expected.

Ghebreyesus, who began his term in 2017, will serve as the head of WHO until 2027 if his reappointment is confirmed. After the announcement of the vote results, he said, "The past five years of my tenure have been difficult and challenging times, but I am honored to have the opportunity to continue this fight," and added, "I am very pleased to have received renewed trust."

The next Director-General election, involving all 194 WHO member countries, will be held at the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in May. Ghebreyesus is known to have broad support, particularly from the European Union (EU) and African countries.

Having served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health and Foreign Affairs, Ghebreyesus is the first African and the first non-physician Director-General in WHO’s history. While overseeing global health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, he faced criticism for delayed responses and biased attitudes from the early stages of the outbreak.

He has been especially criticized for escalating the situation due to pro-China controversies. Elected as WHO Director-General in 2017 with China’s support, he is considered a prominent pro-China figure. During the early COVID-19 crisis, he was criticized for remarks such as, "Thanks to China’s lockdown of Wuhan, the crisis was averted. The world owes China."

It is also pointed out that he was overly cautious about China regarding the delayed pandemic declaration?70 days after reports of unexplained pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province?and showed a passive attitude in investigating the origins of COVID-19, resulting in no significant achievements.

However, after the U.S. Biden administration rejoined the WHO, which had withdrawn under the Trump administration, Ghebreyesus showed a changed stance by announcing in July last year that "an audit of the laboratory and wet market in Wuhan, China, must be included to accurately determine the origin of COVID-19."