
<p>GENEVA, May 24 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The World Health Organization&#8217;s (WHO) members re-elected Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as Director General by a strong majority for another five years, the president of the World Health Assembly said on Tuesday.</p>



<p>The vote by secret ballot, announced by Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh from Djibouti at a major annual meeting, was seen as a formality since Tedros was the only candidate running.</p>



<p>Ministers and delegates took turns to shake hands and hug Tedros, a former health minister from Ethiopia, who has steered the UN agency through a turbulent period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The president had to use a gavel several times to interrupt the applause.</p>



<p>Addressing the assembly soon after his re-election, Tedros said the WHO&#8217;s focus will be on emergency preparedness and improvement of the agency.</p>



<p>&#8220;This pandemic has been very unprecedented and many lessons that we should learn and we are learning. But, at the same time we cannot just pause, learn and implement&#8230;instead of pausing to learn, we&#8217;re saying while learning let&#8217;s implement.&#8221;</p>



<p>The newly re-elected WHO head teared up while talking about the current Ukraine crisis and the death of his younger brother from a childhood disease amidst war and poverty decades ago.</p>



<p>&#8220;When I visited Ukraine when I saw especially the kids..It was the image from more than 50 years ago that came to my mind, so visible, so hounding. The smell, sound and image of war. That is what I don&#8217;t want to happen to anyone.&#8221;</p>



<p>Several countries including Germany and the United States were quick to offer their congratulations.</p>



<p>German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach tweeted that Tedros got 155 of 160 votes, calling it a spectacular result. &#8220;Congratulations, fully deserved.&#8221;</p>



<p>Germany recently overtook the United States as the UN health agency&#8217;s top donor.</p>



<p>However, Tedros’ second-term candidacy did not receive the support of his native Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict. Ethiopia&#8217;s envoy to the assembly made it clear that Botswana&#8217;s statement congratulating Tedros did not represent all 47 countries of the African group.</p>



<p>&#8220;The established working method of the African group is to work by consensus. I would like to point out that there was no consensus. Hence, the distinguished representative of Botswana cannot deliver the statement on behalf of the African group.&#8221;</p>



<p>(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby, Emma Farge and Mrinalika Roy; Additional reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Catherine Evans)VIEW LESS</p>


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Tedros re-elected as head of World Health Organization


<p>GENEVA, May 24 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;African countries raised an objection on Tuesday to a U.S.-led proposal to reform the International Health Regulations (IHR), a move delegates say might prevent passage at the World Health Organization&#8217;s annual assembly.</p>



<p>If Africa continues to withhold support, it could block one of the only concrete reforms expected from the meeting, fraying hopes that members will unite on reforms to strengthen the U.N. health agency&#8217;s rules as it seeks a central role for itself in global health policy.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XF0HC&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a></p>



<p>The IHR set out WHO members&#8217; legally binding obligations around outbreaks. The United States has proposed 13 IHR reforms which seek to authorise the deployment of expert teams to contamination sites and the creation of a new compliance committee to monitor implementation of the rules.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XC0VG&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a></p>



<p>The draft proposal yet to be formally decided is seen as the first step in a broader IHR reform process and would aim to change article 59 that would speed up the implementation for future reforms from 24 to 12 months.</p>



<p>But the African group expressed reservations about even this narrow change, saying all reforms should be tackled together as part of a &#8220;holistic package&#8221; at a later stage.</p>



<p>&#8220;The African region shares the view that the process should not be fast tracked&#8230;,&#8221; Moses Keetile, deputy permanent secretary in Botswana&#8217;s health ministry, told the assembly on Tuesday on behalf of the Africa region.</p>



<p>Diplomats said that African objections may be a strategy to seek concessions on vaccine and drug-sharing from wealthier countries who were seen to be hoarding supplies during COVID-19.</p>



<p>&#8220;We find that they are going too quickly and these sorts of reforms can&#8217;t be rushed through,&#8221; said an African delegate in Geneva who was not authorised to speak to the media.</p>



<p>The U.S. mission in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment.</p>



<p>Several other countries expressed broad support for the idea of IHR reforms, without giving specifics. Iran and Malaysia also expressed reservations.</p>



<p>One diplomat following the discussions &#8220;They don&#8217;t agree but it&#8217;s not a disaster. It&#8217;s a multilateral process so you can&#8217;t force things through.&#8221;</p>



<p>The negotiations will run alongside talks on a potential pandemic treaty, raising concerns over duplication. &#8220;Several developing countries have said that the WHO has too many platforms for negotiation, and it is simply not manageable,&#8221; said Nithin Ramakrishnan, consultant for the Third World Network.</p>



<p>Since the U.S. IHR proposal, Russia has also submitted draft revisions, diplomats say. This assembly is expected to officially launch IHR reform discussions, which may last up to two years.</p>



<p>(Additional reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bangalore; Editing by David Gregorio)</p>


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Africa objects to U.S. push to reform health rules at WHO assembly￼


<p>GENEVA, May 23 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that it must be &#8220;at the centre&#8221; of a global healthcare system, while also acknowledging the need for internal reforms.</p>



<p>The World Health Assembly from May 22-28 is seen as one of the most important in the UN health agency&#8217;s 75-year history, as it seeks to define its future role in global health policy and get approval for a funding overhaul.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XC0VG&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2X96B0&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a></p>



<p>&#8220;We need a stronger and sustainably financed WHO, at the centre of the global health security architecture,&#8221; Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a major speech at the WHO&#8217;s annual assembly.</p>



<p>But he added: &#8220;There have been many calls for WHO to change. And there is no question that more change is needed.&#8221;</p>



<p>The WHO is under scrutiny after an independent panel described it as &#8220;underpowered&#8221; when COVID-19 struck, with limited powers to investigate outbreaks and coordinate containment measures.</p>



<p>However, its 194 member states are seen as split over whether it deserves new powers after its handling of COVID.</p>



<p>&#8220;Some members are saying the WHO did what it could during the pandemic and want to strengthen its authority and others are very disillusioned with the WHO and &#8230; are very divided on whether it should be given more powers,&#8221; said Adam Kamradt-Scott, a professor of Global Health at the School of Transnational Governance.</p>



<p>In the same speech, Tedros said COVID is far from over and that the world was not ready for the next pandemic, echoing the findings of a major report last week.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2XA0VC&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a></p>



<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s clear that the world was and remains unprepared for a pandemic,&#8221; he said.</p>



<p>(Reporting by Emma Farge and Mrinalika Roy; Editing by Catherine Evans)</p>


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WHO chief says it must take central role in global health

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<p>The World Health Organisation says the world is at the early stages of another wave of Covid-19 infections and death, and they have called for top economies to step up by sharing vaccines. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Dr Francis Ohanyido, President of the West Africa Academy of Public Health.</p>


How vaccine inequity is impacting Africa’s recovery from COVID-19

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<p>A new mobile technology is enabling faster responses to health emergencies and protecting and empowering front-line workers by transforming the way they are compensated a simple, but somewhat unexpected solution. This tech was piloted by the polio eradication program in several African countries and is now being used to support the COVID-19 response, CNBC Africa spoke with the Finance Officer of the World Health Organization, Ahmed Hamani for more.</p>


How mobile money platforms can help reduce inefficiencies in Africa’s healthcare sector

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<p>The World Health Organization says the global situation of the Covid-19 pandemic remains highly fragile. So far about 96 countries have reported cases of the Delta variant, which has been designated as a variant of concern. In Africa, the weekly number of cases have been increasing sharply since the 15th of May.  Dr Mary Stephen, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


WHO: Global COVID-19 situation remains highly fragile

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<p>Africa is facing a fast-surging third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with cases spreading more rapidly and projected to soon overtake the peak of the second wave the continent witnessed at the start of the year.  And only about 12 million people are now fully vaccinated. How will the continent navigate this? World Health Organization Coordinator for Vaccines Development in Africa, Richard Mihigo joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


WHO: Setting up COVID-19 vaccine hub in SA is a major milestone for the continent

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<p>Since the beginning of May 2021, new cases of Covid-19 have been rising in many parts of the continent.</p>


Africa sees spike in COVID-19 infections & death

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<p>As Africa finds itself in the midst of a third wave, the vaccine roll-out is picking-up speed. Almost 12 million people are now fully vaccinated; however, it is still less than one percent of Africa’s population.Joining CNBC Africa for more is Doctor Thierno Balde, Programme Manager for Operational Partnerships at the World Health Organisation in Africa.</p>


Africa in the midst of a COVID-19 third wave

Africa in the midst of a COVID-19 third wave, says WHO

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<p>More than 20 African countries have confirmed the presence of the new COVID-19 variant that was first detected in India last year. However, there is a concern that the new variants can’t easily be tracked because the testing required to identify them isn&#8217;t widely available. Dr. Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi, Regional Virologist at WHO Regional Office for Africa joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Understanding the new COVID-19 variants and how to combat them

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<p>A new report by the World Trade Organization, points to the need to enhance trade in Africa. The report states that African trade in goods and services has amounted to only 3 per cent of global exports and imports on average. Trade Analyst, Paul Batibonak joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Paul Batibonak on how to strengthen trade on the African continent

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<p>The World Health Organisation has continuously called on vaccine manufacturing countries to waive COVID-19 patent rights, but this is taking longer than it should, leaving many in the developing world with little or no access to the vaccines. So why should this be a learning lesson for Africa&#8217;s vaccine manufacturing potential? CNBC Africa spoke with the World Health Organisation Coordinator for Vaccines Development in Africa, Doctor Richard Mihigo for more.</p>


WHO: World faces ‘moral crisis’ over vaccine sharing

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<p>The World Health Organization has classified the coronavirus variant first identified in India as a variant of global concern.</p>


How new COVID-19 restrictions impact Nigeria’s economy

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<p>Earlier this week, heads of state and leading figures on the continent convened for a virtual summit to discuss ways on how best Africa can achieve public health security.</p>


WHO: Why it’s the right time for Africa start thinking about vaccine

WHO: Why it’s the right time for Africa to start thinking about vaccine security

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<p>The World Health Organisation has raised concerns over a possible resurgence of the Ebola virus disease, as Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo report cases. This comes at a time when health systems in Africa are already stretched from the coronavirus pandemic. Joining CNBC Africa for more on this developing story is Dr Francis Ohanyindo, President of the West Africa Academy of Public Health.</p>


WHO: New Ebola outbreak to further stress health systems

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<p>Kenya is now the first East African country to report cases of the new Covid-19 variant, first seen in the UK. What do we know about these new variants and how will they affect the efficacy of the developed vaccines? CNBC Africa spoke to the Senior Virologist at WHO Regional office for Africa, DR. Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi, for more.</p>


COVID-19: What the new variants mean to vaccine development

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<p>South Sudan and the World Health Organization launched a national action plan for 2020-24 that aims at strengthening the country’s healthcare system to respond to disease outbreaks. The country also signed a five-year health cooperation agreement with China. Akol Dok, Africa Political &#038; Economic Affairs Analyst joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


WHO

Tedros re-elected as head of World Health Organization

Africa objects to U.S. push to reform health rules at WHO assembly

WHO chief says it must take central role in global health

How vaccine inequity is impacting Africa’s recovery from COVID-19

How mobile money platforms can help reduce inefficiencies in Africa’s healthcare sector

WHO: Global COVID-19 situation remains highly fragile

WHO: Setting up COVID-19 vaccine hub in SA is a major milestone for the continent

Africa sees spike in COVID-19 infections & death

Africa in the midst of a COVID-19 third wave, says WHO

Understanding the new COVID-19 variants and how to combat them

Paul Batibonak on how to strengthen trade on the African continent

WHO: World faces ‘moral crisis’ over vaccine sharing

How new COVID-19 restrictions impact Nigeria’s economy

WHO: Why it’s the right time for Africa to start thinking about vaccine security

WHO: New Ebola outbreak to further stress health systems

COVID-19: What the new variants mean to vaccine development

South Sudan, WHO launch national action plan to strengthen country’s healthcare system

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Tedros re-elected as head of World Health Organization

Africa objects to U.S. push to reform health rules at WHO assembly￼

WHO chief says it must take central role in global health

How vaccine inequity is impacting Africa’s recovery from COVID-19

How mobile money platforms can help reduce inefficiencies in Africa’s healthcare sector

WHO: Global COVID-19 situation remains highly fragile

WHO: Setting up COVID-19 vaccine hub in SA is a major milestone for the continent

Africa sees spike in COVID-19 infections & death

Africa in the midst of a COVID-19 third wave, says WHO

Understanding the new COVID-19 variants and how to combat them

Paul Batibonak on how to strengthen trade on the African continent

WHO: World faces ‘moral crisis’ over vaccine sharing

How new COVID-19 restrictions impact Nigeria’s economy

WHO: Why it’s the right time for Africa to start thinking about vaccine security

WHO: New Ebola outbreak to further stress health systems

COVID-19: What the new variants mean to vaccine development

South Sudan, WHO launch national action plan to strengthen country’s healthcare system

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Africa objects to U.S. push to reform health rules at WHO assembly