Secretary Price Congratulates New WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Geneva, Switzerland – U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., issued the following statement today congratulating Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on his election to serve as the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO):

“On behalf of President Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we congratulate Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on being elected the next Director-General of the World Health Organization. The United States looks forward to working with the new Director-General and our public health partners at the WHO to reform and strengthen the organization and enhance the ability of all nations to protect the health of their people. Global health security begins at home. WHO must play an integral part in preventing, detecting, responding to, and recovering from local health emergencies so that we reduce the potential of them becoming global health emergencies.

“Under the leadership of the new Director-General, WHO member states must commit to further enhancing the transparency and accountability of this important organization to ensure its success, and implement critical reforms to make WHO the organization we need it to be. Such reforms will increase the capabilities of the WHO to serve its mission and grow the trust of member states in those capabilities. The United States is committed to helping advance reforms and cultivating greater global health security. We look forward to working with Dr. Tedros."