Mugabe removed as WHO goodwill envoy after outrage

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been removed as a goodwill ambassador, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, following outrage among Western donors and rights groups at his appointment.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus named Mugabe to the largely ceremonial post at a meeting on Wednesday in Uruguay on chronic diseases attended by both men.

At the time, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as &ldquo-a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide healthcare to all&rdquo-.

But Tedros said in a statement that he had listened to those expressing concerns and heard the &ldquo-different issues&rdquo- raised.

&ldquo-Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs (non-communicable diseases) in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment,&rdquo- Tedros said.

The decision had been taken after consultation with the Harare government and was &ldquo-in the best interests of the World Health Organization&rdquo-, he said.

Jeremy Farrar, a global health specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust charity and the NCD alliance, representing health groups combating chronic diseases, welcomed the reversal.

&ldquo-Dr Tedros deserves all our support to ensure he and WHO build a global health movement that is inclusive and works to improve health for everyone,&rdquo- Farrar said in a statement.

Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Walter Muzembi accepted the move while insisting that WHO had &ldquo-benefited tremendously&rdquo- from having nominated Mugabe and the media buzz it brought to health issues.

&ldquo-So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate while we focus Zimbabwe on its membership obligations,&rdquo- Muzembi said in a government statement.

Several former and current WHO staff had said privately they were appalled at the &ldquo-poor judgment&rdquo- and &ldquo-miscalculation&rdquo- by Tedros, elected the first African head of WHO in May.

Mugabe was head of the African Union when the bloc endorsed Tedros – a former health and foreign minister of Ethiopia – over other African candidates for the top post, without any real regional contest, they said.

Mugabe, 93, is blamed in the West for destroying Zimbabwe&rsquo-s economy and for numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.

Britain had said Mugabe&rsquo-s appointment as a goodwill ambassador was &ldquo-surprising and disappointing&rdquo- and that it risked overshadowing the WHO&rsquo-s global work. The United States, which has imposed sanctions on Mugabe for alleged human rights violations, also voiced disappointment.

&ldquo-He (Tedros) has to remember where his funding comes from,&rdquo- said one health official who declined to be identified.

The Trump administration, which is already questioning financial support for some United Nations agencies, is WHO&rsquo-s largest single donor.

WHO is struggling to recover a reputation tarnished by its slowness in tackling the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa from 2014-2015 under Tedros&rsquo- predecessor, Margaret Chan.

The agency is now grappling with a massive cholera outbreak in Yemen that has infected some 800,000 people in the past year and a plague outbreak in Madagascar that has killed nearly 100 in two months.