New York Times: WHO’s Identity Crisis
Editorial Board

“On Tuesday, the World Health Organization, under more democratic rules than in the past, elected its first African director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Dr. Tedros, who goes by his first name, is a malaria expert who built his reputation by cutting through bureaucracy to bring transformative change to health services in his native Ethiopia. The WHO will need him to do just that in his new job. … Dr. Tedros will need to move swiftly to bring transparency and accountability to the WHO, and to demonstrate that every dollar is well spent. … The WHO is the only agency that can declare a global health emergency. It oversees cooperation … It sets global medical standards … The world desperately needs a fully functioning WHO, and must hope that in Dr. Tedros the organization has found the leadership it needs to overcome its current woes” (5/29).

Devex: Opinion: How new Director-General Tedros must modernize WHO’s engagement with the world
Gabrielle Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of Panorama

“When Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus takes over as the new director general of the World Health Organization on July 1, he … must make some bold changes to prepare the WHO to succeed. … Tedros should immediately embark on an effort to modernize the WHO’s financing and donor relations, and raise the funds the WHO desperately needs to execute its important role. … The WHO needs to … engage with other industry players. … In addition to serving as a resource for practitioners and communities on important data and information, the WHO needs to think of communications more strategically. … Tedros will take office with significant political momentum. His decisive win in a highly competitive race, combined with a level of energy and excitement about the WHO’s first African leader, give him a unique and time-limited opportunity to make bold changes to how the organization operates. And for the WHO to continue to be a driving force for a healthier world, Tedros needs to prioritize modernizing how his agency engages with that world” (5/26).