The World Health Organization (WHO) should overturn its determination to appoint Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe every bit a goodwill ambassador, global wellness leaders said on Saturday, describing the displace every bit unjustifiable in addition to wrong.
Britain said Mugabe’s engagement was “surprising in addition to disappointing” in addition to added that it risked overshadowing the WHO’s global work. The United States, which has imposed sanctions on Mugabe for alleged human rights violations, said it was “disappointed.”
“This engagement clearly contradicts the United Nations’ ideals of observe for human rights in addition to human dignity,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.
“This selection underscores why the the States continues to force for U.N. reform in addition to leadership actions that uphold our shared U.N. ideals.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the engagement at a high-level coming together on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) inwards Uruguay on Wednesday.
The coming together was attended past times Mugabe, 93. He is blamed inwards the West for destroying his country’s economic scheme in addition to numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the province every bit either president or prime number minister.
In a speech, Tedros praised Republic of Zimbabwe every bit “a province that places universal wellness coverage in addition to wellness advertisement at the middle of its policies to supply wellness help to all”.
The sometime Ethiopian wellness in addition to unusual minister, who was elected terminal May every bit WHO’s get African director-general, added: “Today I am also honored to denote that President Mugabe has agreed to serve every bit a goodwill ambassador on NCDs for Africa to influence his peers inwards his part to prioritize NCDs.”
But the NCD Alliance, which represents 28 international wellness groups seeking to scrap chronic diseases, said it was “shocked in addition to deeply concerned” to hear of the appointment, given Mugabe’s “long rail tape of human rights violations”.
Jeremy Farrar, a leading global wellness specialist in addition to managing director of the Wellcome Trust charity also said the determination was “deeply disappointing in addition to wrong” in addition to called on Tedros to last brave in addition to contrary it.
“Robert Mugabe fails inwards every way to stand upwardly for the values WHO should stand upwardly for in addition to those that Dr Tedros has stood for since becoming DG in addition to has done over many years,” Farrar said. “Brave leaders are willing to listen, rethink in addition to overturn bad decisions, this is i such case,” he said.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO principal had made the displace seeking wide back upwardly for the agency’s work.
“Tedros has oft talked of his determination to construct a global hit to promote high-level political leadership for health,” he said past times e-mail.
Human rights activists also criticized the move.
Hillel Neuer, executive managing director of the Geneva-based grouping United Nations Watch described the selection past times WHO, a United Nations way every bit “sickening”.
“The authorities of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed commonwealth dissidents, in addition to turned the tummy of Africa — in addition to its wellness arrangement — into a basket-case,” he said.
He noted that Mugabe himself had traveled to Singapore for medical handling 3 times this twelvemonth rather than inwards his homeland.
Reuters