World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday said he was reconsidering his decision to appoint Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as the body’s goodwill ambassador. His announcement to appoint the controversial leader drew severe criticism from several quarters including the governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
Mugabe’s administration has been accused of several human rights violations. “I hear your concerns,” Tedros responded to angry reactions on Twitter. “Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible.”
Tedros had made the announcement about the appointment at a high-level meeting in Uruguay on Wednesday. The WHO chief has said that Mugabe had agreed to “serve as a goodwill ambassador on non-communicable diseases for Africa to influence his peers in his region to prioritise NCDs.” Mugabe has been accused of maladministration that has led to a collapse of the healthcare system among other administrative failures.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he “thought it was a bad April Fool’s joke”, BBC reported. The United States, which has imposed restrictions on Zimbabwe for alleged human rights violations, said it was “disappointed” by the appointment.
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