UN health agency chief unbowed amid attacks, Trump criticism

  World Health Organization’s director-general has faced many challenges during coronavirus pandemic: racial slurs, death threats, social media caricatures — he was once depicted as a ventriloquist’s dummy in hands of Chinese President Xi Jinping — and U.S. funding cuts.

Through it all, Tedros ham Ghebreyesus has endeavored to rise above troubles with a focus on one main task: Building international “solidarity” against an outbreak whose confirmed death toll is nearly 300,000 and that quelled ecomic activity in countries rich and poor. Many health policy experts have praised his handling of outbreak overall, despite criticism of U.N. health ncy by Trump ministration.

Next week, Tedros’ track record and background will come under intensified scrutiny as WHO holds its biggest annual event — World Health Assembly — in a “virtual” and abbreviated version that focuses on COVID-19.

Critics and some analysts cite his background as a government minister in Ethiopia, with its history of authoritarian regimes. t long after taking office in 2017, Tedros appointed Zimbabwe’s n president, Robert Mugabe, who often traveled abro to receive health care, as a WHO “goodwill ambassor,” only to revoke appointment after a wave of outr erupted.

Most recently, Trump has faulted WHO for being too accepting and praising of China’s handling of early outbreak, wedging Tedros personally in tense political standoff between U.S. and China. He has shied away from criticizing two powerful U.N. members, and has praised both President Donald Trump and Xi — even while leaving hints seemingly directed at Beijing and Washington.

“Don’t use this virus as an opportunity to fight against each or or score political points. It’s dangerous,” he said recently, appealing to world. “It’s political problem that may fuel furr this pandemic.”

Tedros, 55, kws about punishing sides to both politics and pandemics: A malaria expert with a doctorate in microbiology from University of ttingham in Britain, he served as health minister and foreign minister in Ethiopia before his election in 2017 in one of WHO’s most competitive races.

He’s first WHO chief from Africa, and first who doesn’t have a medical degree — seen as a hole in his resume by some critics.

Tedros was born in city of Asmara, before it and rest of Eritrea split from Ethiopia. Like many Ethiopians, he goes by his first name. A far of five, he has tweeted about riding bikes with his daughter. A few years ago, he tried out saxophone, but give it up because of a heavy worklo.

Years ago, Tedros was spotted as a rising star of health policy by Melinda Gates, whose charitable foundation has become WHO’s . 2 dor. He has been credited for helping expand Ethiopia’s health care workforce as health minister from 2005 to 2012.

Tedros often uses wit, feigned igrance and charm to disarm or sidestep critics. He has drawn on star power of Ly Gaga and garnered support from European leers, and called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez “mi herma”: my bror. He bills himself “Dr. Tedros,” leaning on his doctorate, and actively tweets to a million followers.

stranger to personal anecdote, Tedros once said it was “pure luck” for him to aspire to top WHO job, ting that when he was 7, his younger bror died from a childhood disease — and it could just as easily have been him.

Dr. Lia Tesse, Ethiopia’s current health minister, who worked with Tedros when he h her job, said he was kwn for showing calm, patience and a good ear.

“While he was a minister, he was kwn to really care for people who are considered at lowest level of strata, like cleaner, security guard and so on,” she said by phone. “He takes time to listen to ir problems, and really recognize ir efforts.”

Tedros has played down death threats against him, but has stood up to defend Africa. He has blasted government of Taiwan, which isn’t a U.N. member state, for allegedly condoning “racial slurs” against him. Taiwan’s current government has faced intense political pressure from rival China, and has been appealing for mission as an observer to World Health Assembly on Monday and Tuesday.

Political sniping between U.S. and China, and Tedros’ own political bagg, can make it tough to cut through ise during a global health emergency.

“If you criticize WHO and Tedros, you’re somehow seen as a supporter of Trump ministration and ir clearly self-serving attacks to shift blame from ir own failure,” said Jeffrey Smith, director of Washington-based Vanguard Africa, a promoter of democracy. “On or hand, if you defend Dr. Tedros and WHO, you’re seen as somehow endorsing his comfort level with world’s despots and dictators.”

“Yes, Dr. Tedros is product of a deeply authoritarian regime. And he has long displayed an affinity for dictators,” Smith said. “ WHO does critical work and deserves support. And yes, WHO also needs reform. All of se things can be true.”

David Shinn, a U.S. ambassor to Ethiopia in 1990s, said Tedros h a good relationship with both Beijing and Washington while Ethiopia’s foreign minister. Shinn cited a “cautionary te:” Tedros h job when Ethiopia relied heavily on China for ecomic and political support, as it does today.

“As a result, he probably was willing to accept at face value what he was being told by China with perhaps t questioning as strongly as he might have what situation really was,” said Shinn, an junct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Tedros appears to have learned one key thing from his predecessor, Dr. Margaret Chan of China: Be reactive to outbreaks. Amid Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that’s w seemingly on its last legs, Tedros traveled over a dozen times to region. With COVID-19, he has been omnipresent.

“Dr. Tedros has been very much at helm in terms of being in almost every single press conference, communicating directly with public, tweeting — really speaking directly to people,” said Suerie Moon, co-director of Global Health Center at Geneva’s Gruate Institute.

“He’s able to really humanize a situation that’s quite frightening for most people and be a reassuring presence,” she said.