WHO Secretary-General, who was criticized for “corona support”, challenges reappointment as a single candidate | Joongang Ilbo | JoongAng Ilbo

World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General Tedros will be the sole candidate for the next Secretary-General election and will challenge reappointment.

WHO announced on the 29th (local time) that Tedros Secretary-General is the only candidate for the next Secretary-General. Until the 23rd of last month, member countries recommended candidates for the next secretary-general, but 29 countries recommended the current secretary-general of Tedros as the only candidate.

China was not included in the list of recommended countries released by WHO. Nor did it recommend the government of Ethiopia, the homeland of Secretary-General Tedros. Secretary-General Tedros was recommended by the previous administration, which is in conflict with the current administration. In addition, relations with the current administration have deteriorated due to suspicion of supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) during the recent civil war.

WHO will hold an executive committee meeting in January next year to examine whether Tedros Secretary-General meets the standards set by the World Health Assembly (WHA) and conduct an interview. After that, the 75th WHA will be held in May, and the next secretary-general will be elected through a secret ballot of member countries. The newly elected secretary-general will begin operations on August 16, next year. According to WHO regulations, the secretary general can be reappointed once and the term of office is five years.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Tedros has been criticized for delaying response to the new corona pandemic. WHO declared a pandemic two months after the first report of a new corona infection in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019. Some criticized the pro-Chinese Secretary-General Tedros for postponing the pandemic declaration with China in mind. It also recommended wearing masks in June last year after the majority of countries forced or mandated their citizens to wear masks. In response to these criticisms, Secretary-General Tedros argued that “WHO’s response is appropriate and the new corona situation should not be politicized.”