Dr Moeti Nominated as WHO Regional Director for Africa
ADDIS ABEBA -The 47 Member States of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African Region nominated Dr. Matshidiso Moeti to serve a second five-year term as Regional Director for Africa.
The nomination took place today during the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, which is the governing mechanism involving health ministers from all Member States, the UN health organization said.
Dr. Moeti’s candidacy was endorsed by the African Union Executive Council earlier this year.
Her nomination will be ratified by the 146th WHO Executive Board at its January 2020 session. If ratified, her second term will begin on 1 March 2020.
“I am very honored to be nominated for a second term as Regional Director for Africa,” said Dr. Moeti.
“During the past five years, I have worked to transform the WHO Secretariat so that we better respond to the health needs of millions of Africans,” she continued.
“This nomination is an endorsement of the many achievements we have reached together with health ministries. I intend for us to scale more mountains together over the next five years.”
During her first term, Africa made significant advances in health.
When Dr Moeti was elected in 2015, the region was in the throes of the West African Ebola outbreak.
Through the concerted efforts of WHO, governments and partners, the three affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – ended the outbreak by December of that year.
A WHO Health Emergencies Program was launched in 2016. In 2018, WHO and partners supported emergency responses to more than 160 public health events in more than 40 countries.
“The WHO Secretariat is now better organized, resourced and equipped to support Member States to detect and rapidly respond to epidemics and ensure health security in the region,” said Dr. Moeti.
The regional universal health coverage flagship program was launched in 2017 to promote concrete country actions to ensure that everyone can access the care they need without financial hardship.
