Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by  WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017. 

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World  Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO’s chief  technical and administrative officer. 

Immediately after taking office on 1 July 2017 Dr Tedros outlined five key priorities for the  Organization: universal health coverage; health emergencies; women’s, children’s and  adolescents’ health; health impacts of climate and environmental change; and a transformed  WHO. 

Prior to his election as WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign  Affairs from 2012–2016. In this role he led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda,  in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable  Development Goals. 

Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health from 2005–2012, where he led a comprehensive  reform of the country’s health system. All roads lead to universal health coverage for Dr Tedros,  and he has demonstrated what it takes to expand access to health care with limited resources. 

The transformation he led as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health improved access to health care for  millions of people. Under his leadership Ethiopia invested in critical health infrastructure, expanded  its health workforce, and developed innovative health financing mechanisms. 

Beyond Ethiopia, Dr Tedros’ global leadership on malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child  health has been immensely impactful. He was elected as Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,  Tuberculosis, and Malaria Board in 2009, and previously served as Chair of the Roll Back Malaria  Partnership Board, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board. 

Born in the city of Asmara, Eritrea, Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community  Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of  Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros is globally recognised as a health  scholar, researcher, and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations, and  leadership in emergency responses to epidemics. 

Throughout his career Dr Tedros has published numerous articles in prominent scientific journals,  and received awards and recognition from across the globe. He received the Decoration of the  Order of Serbian Flag in 2016, and was awarded the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian  Award in recognition of his contributions to the field of public health in 2011.