France, Germany nominate WHO chief for second term

France and Germany nominated World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for a second term on Thursday.

“Today September 23rd, France and Germany, in coordination with a group of EU states, nominated Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros for the election of the @WHO Director-General to be held in May 2022,” the account for the French mission to United Nations institutions in Geneva said. 

Aujourd’hui 23 septembre, la France et l’Allemagne , en coordination avec un groupe d’Etats de l’UE , ont proposé la candidature du Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros pour l’élection du Directeur général de l’OMS (@WHO) qui aura lieu en mai 2022. pic.twitter.com/UHVUOvBXiz

— France ONU Genève (@FranceONUGeneve) September 23, 2021

Tedros has led the WHO throughout the coronavirus pandemic, recently focusing on a push to get vaccines to poorer countries with low vaccination rates.

In his home nation of Ethiopia, he has come under backlash for speaking up against human rights abuses. This marks the first time someone has been nominated to the top WHO position without the support of their home country, The Associated Press reported.

A diplomatic official in Geneva told the AP there were 15 other members of the European Union who nominated Tedros, with other officials saying he might not have any competition.