Post Furore, WHO Chief ‘Rethinking’ Mugabe as Goodwill Ambassador

Mugabe is accused of human rights abuses and destroying Zimbabwe’s economy in his 37 years as PM or President.

File photo of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe.

(Photo: AP)

The appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been denounced by human rights groups.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.

But the NCD Alliance, which represents 28 international health groups seeking to combat chronic diseases, said it was “shocked and deeply concerned” to hear of the appointment, given Mugabe’s “long track record of human rights violations”.

The meeting was attended by Mugabe, 93. He is blamed in the West for destroying his country's economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.

In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

After furore over Mugabe’s appointment among human rights groups and activists, Tedros said he was ‘rethinking’ the appointment.

Iain Levine, deputy executive director for programmes at Human Rights Watch, had earlier said on Twitter: “Given Mugabe’s appalling human rights record, calling him a goodwill ambassador for anything embarrasses WHO and Dr Tedros.”

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO chief was seeking broad support for the agency's work.

"Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health," he said by e-mail.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch, issued a statement late on Friday criticising the choice by WHO, a United Nations agency.

The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa – and its health system –into a basket-case. The notion that the UN should now spin this country as a great supporter of health is, frankly, sickening.

Hillel Neuer

He noted that Mugabe himself had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment three times this year rather than in his homeland.

Western diplomats also voiced surprise at the appointment and said they were unaware of the "decision-making structure" behind it.

Critics of WHO’s Decision

Global health leaders described the move as unjustifiable and wrong.

Britain said Mugabe's appointment was "surprising and disappointing" and added that it risked overshadowing the WHO's global work.

The United States, which has imposed sanctions on Mugabe for alleged human rights violations, said it was "disappointed."

This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations’ ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity. This selection underscores why the United States continues to push for UN reform and leadership actions that uphold our shared UN ideals.

US State Department spokesperson

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he first thought the appointment was a "bad April Fool's joke."

Trudeau called the WHO appointment "absolutely unacceptable, absolutely unconceivable" and said Canada's diplomats "are busy making that very, very clear to the international community."

Jeremy Farrar, a leading global health specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust charity also said the decision was "deeply disappointing and wrong" and called on Tedros to be brave and reverse it.

Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for and those that Dr Tedros has stood for since becoming DG and has done over many years. Brave leaders are willing to listen, rethink and overturn bad decisions, this is one such case.

Jeremy Farrar

(With inputs from Reuters.)