Tedros Adhanom

“When people are healthy, their families, communities and countries thrive.”

“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.”

“Scaling up community health workers and health system capacity must be a fundamental component of our efforts to achieve universal health coverage, which will be my topmost priority if elected as Director-General.”

“Our biggest achievement was health-sector reform. The success was in making sure that primary health care was the center of gravity in our health system.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Ensuring investment in health systems will not only help us manage HIV/AIDS, it will also support our efforts to prevent and treat other communicable and noncommunicable diseases as well as prevent and respond to future health emergencies.”

“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.”

“The Ministry of Health started by restructuring Ethiopia's previously male-dominated health system with women at the center.”

“Vaccination and other essential preventive services must be delivered close within communities.”

“Expanding health coverage is not a technical issue but a political one; it should be seen as a right and a means to development.”

“I think the world should unite and focus on strong health systems to prepare the whole world to prevent epidemics - or if there is an outbreak, to manage it quickly - because viruses don't respect borders, and they don't need visas.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Education gives girls the knowledge, experience, and confidence to play their rightful role in society.”

“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.”

“I envision a world where everyone can lead healthy and productive lives, regardless of who they are or where they live.”