Huffington Post: New WHO Leader Could Improve Global Health Security By Turning WHO Upside Down
Ngozi Erondu, assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

“…I’m hopeful that the WHO under [Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’] leadership will embrace local led initiatives and foster public-private collaborations to meet the health needs of all people. … Dr. Tedros steps into a WHO that must undergo significant reforms in order to define its role in coordinating global responses during health emergencies. To do this, WHO must work before times of crises to restore its authority in coordinating and directing these multi-institutional partnerships. Though this is no easy task, it seems that Dr. Tedros embraces these challenges and his experience in leading other multilateral organizations suggests he can help make the WHO leaner and less bureaucratic, and thus a more responsive organization connected to the realities on the ground. In addition, he brings the experience of reforming Ethiopia’s resource-constrained health system and proficiency in diplomacy — key skills that are critical for the director general position…” (5/25).

Huffington Post: Stakes And Opportunities High For New Head Of World Health Organization
James Whiting, executive director of Malaria No More U.K.

“…As he prepares to start his new role [as WHO director general], Dr. Tedros has the opportunity to accelerate … global progress [against malaria], something desperately needed as half the world’s population lives at risk of malaria and a child still dies every two minutes from this entirely preventable and treatable disease. The global community has agreed what needs to be done. … We need to reduce malaria infection rates and do it faster. We need to stand by the ambitious goal of eliminating malaria in more countries. We need a sustained and enhanced technical focus. We need an increase in funding. But above all we need global leadership from Dr. Tedros to ensure activation of this global plan. … We have to stay one step ahead of the game in developing new tools to fight malaria and the investment needed to deliver these. … We simply cannot risk the progress so many have worked so hard to achieve, including WHO. As I wish Dr. Tedros well with the challenges ahead, I also call on him to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end malaria within a generation…” (5/25).