Trailblazing WHO Director-General awarded honorary doctorate

SOUTH AFRICA — Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first person from Africa to head the World Health Organization (WHO) as director-general, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by South Africa’s University of Pretoria (UP).

This award recognizes his work as a global health expert and scholar, particularly in his notable achievements in global health leadership in the areas of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health.

Ghebreyesus, who has been leading the WHO since 2017, has been a prominent figure in the fight against COVID-19.

He galvanized manufacturers of medical supplies to work with the WHO to scale up access to personal protective equipment for health workers, and launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator initiative to bolster production, development, and equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.

Ghebreyesus received the award in South Africa during the autumn graduation ceremony of the 115-year-old institution.

During his time as Minister of Health in Ethiopia from 2005 to 2012, Dr. Ghebreyesus expanded the country’s health system to give millions of Ethiopians access to health care by means of health financing mechanisms, investing in health infrastructure, and building the health workforce.

He also led negotiations of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as Minister of Foreign Affairs, during which 193 countries committed to providing funding towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At the WHO, Ghebreyesus has focused on initiatives that will “have measurable impact in countries.”

The public health agency’s five-year strategic plan (2019-23) centres on “promoting health, keeping the world safe, and serving the vulnerable”, placing emphasis on supporting countries to achieve health-related SDG targets.

The plan also focuses the WHO’s work on meeting its ‘triple billion’ targets: 1 billion more people benefiting from universal health coverage, 1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies, and 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.

Ghebreyesus’ impact in global health leadership, particularly in malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health, has been immense.

As a result, he has received numerous awards and recognitions, including honorary fellowships from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.

He has also received honorary doctorates of medicine from Umea University in Sweden and the University of Nottingham and Newcastle University in the UK.

In 2020, he was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of the Year and received the African of the Year Award from African Leadership magazine.

UP’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, described him as a “model of global health leadership,”

Professor Tiaan de Jager, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at UP, said Dr. Ghebreyesus’ enormous contributions globally in the fields of public health and epidemiology as a scientist, global health expert, diplomat, and advocate, together with his innovative, bold dynamism to reshape global public health, have been unmatched.

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