During my tenure as Minister of Health of Ethiopia from 2005 to 2012, we achieved tremendous progress in tackling the many infectious diseases prevalent in resource-poor countries such as my own.
— Tedros Adhanom
Jihadist organizations attempt to exploit discontent among marginalized groups in unstable societies.
Health is both the foundation of my academic and professional careers and a personal passion. I know first-hand the important role health security plays in protecting lives and preventing the spread of disease.
The monetary impacts of malaria from the household to the global level are significant. Malaria tends to strike during harvest season, rendering families too sick and too weak to perform the work necessary to earn a living. Malaria-stricken families spend an average of over a quarter of their income on malaria treatment.
Early in my career, I was galvanized by a disease that ravaged my country and many others around the world: malaria.
Working together with our exceptional leadership team, our Ministry of Health was empowered to make smart investments that could unlock our potential by producing long-lasting health and economic benefits for all.
The fight against HIV/AIDS cannot be won unless countries take ownership of protecting and supporting the health of communities both near and far.
Over the years, I have worked on programs in Africa and around the globe to combat malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. I have been witness to incredible progress in these fights.
Strong health and disease surveillance systems halt epidemics that take lives, disrupt economies, and pose global health security threats.
In 2009, when I was Health Minister, we re-engineered our business processes to examine the weaknesses and opportunities in our health system. Following that exercise, we established a public health emergency management system from national to district level to prevent and provide rapid response to outbreaks.
Investing in girls and women is the smartest thing we can do, and will help us to improve opportunities for all people. With equal access to education, health care, employment, and representation in political and economic decision-making, girls and women are force to be reckoned with.
Education gives girls the knowledge, experience, and confidence to play their rightful role in society.
My experience in Ethiopia helped shape my vision for WHO. We need to promote evidence-based decision-making and awareness. Specifically, we need to advocate for research and development, champion and support global and regional coalitions, and strengthen national capacity.
Climate change and variations particularly impact many aspects of life that are inextricably linked to health: food security, economic livelihoods, air safety, and water and sanitation systems. Gender differences in health risks are likely to be worsened by climate change.
New malaria cases fell by 21 percent between 2010 and 2015 worldwide, and malaria death rates fell by 29 percent in the same period. Yet, though malaria is preventable and treatable, it is still claiming too many lives around the world.
During World Immunization Week, we must celebrate our shared results and redouble our efforts to improve the health and lives of people everywhere.
I promise I will get up every day, determined to make a difference... I am ready to serve.
Diabetes can be successfully prevented and managed by a healthy lifestyle. When not managed, it can lead to severe organ damage and death.
Al Qaeda and ISIS may have global aspirations, but their ability to penetrate a society is strongly influenced by local conditions.
The specter of climate change threatens worsening natural disasters, rapid urbanization, forced migration, and economic hardship for the most vulnerable. Despite significant global advances, inability to effectively address epidemics and health emergencies still prevail and continuously threaten global health security and economic development.
I contracted malaria while working in the field. That was the impetus for me to pursue a doctorate in community health. As a young academic, I investigated the patterns of malaria's spread and the potential measures we could employ to control it.
Simply put, girls and women are the keys that will unlock sustainable development. They are also at the center of the healthier and more resilient societies we desire.
I had always believed that standing with Ethiopia's most vulnerable was simply the right thing to do.
That all-too-common gap - between where the doctors, facilities and resources are based and where the individuals suffering from HIV live - had to be closed. This is what the Health Extension Program (HEP) was created to do.
When people are healthy, their families, communities and countries thrive.
We are convinced that universal health coverage, with strong primary care and essential financial protection, is the key to achieving the ambitious health targets of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and to avoiding impoverishment from exorbitant out-of-pocket health expenses.
Strong leadership is essential in the face of health crises. Complex public health emergencies demand a collective response with high-level political and diplomatic engagement at both the national and global levels.
Women are the key to successful development and ongoing progress. In the workforce, their ingenuity, determination, and hard work help our economies thrive. In the government, they offer valuable perspective that can inform policy and remove barriers.
As a candidate for Director-General of the WHO, I believe there is a key role WHO needs to play to improve and advance mental health. It can help advocate for efficient resources and services - and efforts to reduce stigma - to be in place at local, national, and global levels.
Ethiopia has a robust response, designing development policies with a view to mitigating the impact of climate change. I am proud to say that in the fifth edition of the Global Green Economy Index released in September 2016, Ethiopia is ranked 14 globally in terms of climate change performance.
Defeating malaria is absolutely critical to ending poverty, improving the health of millions, and enabling future generations to reach their full potential.
Effective public-private partnerships will help drive the development of new products to meet the particular health needs of the poor and other vulnerable populations.
I envision a world where everyone can lead healthy and productive lives, regardless of who they are or where they live.
I believe UNAIDS' provocative leadership has been critical in addressing the AIDS epidemic and converting it from a death sentence to a chronic health condition.
The importance of Africa's development to the entire world should be self-evident. And yet, despite the high stakes, Europe - and the international community more broadly - have not devoted the attention and resources that the issue merits.
Stabilizing economies and reducing political and civil strife are means to development and, as such, are part of the approach for promoting healthy populations.
Like other conflict-affected regions, Africa continues to see religious, ethnic, and politically motivated conflicts. Extremist violence is now entrenched in several parts of the world. Armed conflicts are leading to protracted refugee crises to the scale that has not been seen since World War II.
Soon after joining the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, I was called upon as part of team to respond to a malaria outbreak. My team was dispatched to a village in southwestern Ethiopia, where I not only observed the malaria epidemic's shocking effects on adults and children but also experienced it first-hand.
The Ministry of Health started by restructuring Ethiopia's previously male-dominated health system with women at the center.
Countries need to work in partnership with international agencies, donors, global experts, and one another in order to collectively end HIV/AIDS.
The 2000 Durban conference prompted action, and since then, great strides have been made in global health and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Universal health coverage is an ambitious goal, but it is one that can create a healthier and more equitable world for all people. It means a child reaches adulthood, and adults lead healthier lives regardless of who they are and where they live.
I truly believe that, together, we can create a healthier world.
We live in a world at constant risk of public health emergencies. In our increasingly interconnected world, public health emergencies can affect anyone, anywhere.
When we tell girls that we expect them to pursue education and excel in education, we are changing the narrative and are opening the door to the leaders of our future.
Depression is a leading cause of ill health and disability, and many do not have access to mental health services and face significant social stigma around their disease.
The Paris Agreement underlines the urgency to implement climate action in support of sustainable development.
I speak often about my personal experiences with malaria in the field as a young public health officer because it had such a profound impact on my life and my work.
Vaccination and other essential preventive services must be delivered close within communities.
While WHO has never had a director from Africa, no one should elect me because I am from Africa.
