International
WHO cancels Mugabe’s role as goodwill ambassador after outcry
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has been stripped of his role as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organisation (WHO), days after he was appointed by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the UN health agency.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Ghebreyesus said that he had listened to those expressing concerns coupled with the confusion and anger among key WHO member states and opposition figures in Zimbabwe.
Read also: WHO “rethinks” Mugabe’s goodwill ambassador role amid growing criticism
“Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment,” Tedros said in a statement posted on his Twitter account @DrTedros.
Mugabe was earlier appointed by the Ghebreyesus at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.
Opposition figures and critics in Zimbabwe are against the decision to appoint Mugabe as an ambassador with many noting that that the country’s healthcare system, like many of its public services, has been rife with problems under the presidents decades-long leadership.
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