AHF calls on the World Health Assembly to dismiss WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus over mismanagement of the COVID-19 response and to recruit former President Barack Obama to lead the WHO through the global pandemic effort for a period of one year
After refusing to resign over mishandling the COVID-19 response, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) calls on the World Health Assembly (WHA) to dismiss Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from his position as World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General at its upcoming 73rd WHA starting May 17 and to seek the appointment of former United States President Barack Obama as interim head of the WHO to lead it through the COVID-19 response for a period of one year.
"We urge the World Health Assembly to dismiss Dr. Tedros and to do all it can to bring in President Obama to help see us through this crisis," said AHF President Michael Weinstein. "Now that we know it's very likely COVID-19 cases date back to at least November, and certainly December, it was unexcusable to wait four months to declare a pandemic. WHO is supposed to be our best early warning system, at which they failed horribly under Dr. Tedros' lead. That, coupled with him not displaying sufficient independence from external political pressures, is more than enough to warrant his removal. There are simply too many lives at stake to wait to make this change."
Tedros has stumbled in several critical areas of the COVID-19 response, most notably by praising China for transparency following an attempted cover-up, delaying the Public Health Emergency of International Concern and pandemic declarations, and relying on questionable data from China for critical decisions regarding COVID-19.
"President Obama has proven abilities in international diplomacy and strengthening cooperation among people from all walks of life along with credibility at the highest levels of global governance needed to help shepherd the WHO and the global pandemic response through these unprecedented times." added Weinstein. "If there ever was a moment for a leader of President Obama's character, stature and unifying prowess to take charge-it is now."
For more information, please contact Ged Kenslea at gedk@aidshealth.org or (323) 791-5526
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.4 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
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Contacts:
U.S. MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF
+1 323 308 1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy Communications, AHF
+1.202.503.4743
dn@aidshealth.org
