The embattled head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has announced that he would soon introduce Hindi as one of the languages for simultaneous translation of his press conferences.
“… WHO is committed to keeping the world informed in as many ways as possible, in as many languages as possible... Now I’m pleased to say that from Monday we will be providing simultaneous interpretation for press conferences in all official U.N. languages, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish and we are also planning to expand to include other languages like Swahili and Hindi,” Dr. Tedros announced on Friday.
The move to expand the outreach of his messaging, to other countries, including India could bolster Dr. Tedros’ riposte to the assault mounted against him by the Trump administration, amplified by Washington’s decision to halt funding to the WHO .
Also read | Editorial:Disastrous decision: On Trump halting funds to WHO
The U.S., the biggest WHO donor, is tightening the financial noose amid allegations that the U.N. body had aligned with China to botch up the response against the COVID-19 outbreak . U.S. president Donald Trump has gone ballistic, accusing the WHO of sowing “disinformation” about the novel coronavirus.
He also slammed the agency for being too lenient with Beijing at the budding stage of the crisis.
Mr. Trump tweeted on April 7, amid a rising tide of accusations that his administration was caught leaden foot in responding to the outbreak
Seventeen U.S. House Republicans have followed up on Mr. Trump’s tirade and personally targeted Dr. Tedros, accusing the WHO and the Communist Party of China (CPC) for expanding the global footprint of the disease.
India has refrained from taking sides in the tornadic storm surrounding the WHO. The Hindu reported on Wednesday that New Delhi was not inclined to immediately join the controversy that erupted after Mr. Trump announced a “halt” to American funding of the WHO.
But the attack from powerful quarters, so far, is unlikely to shake up the WHO, or dent the position of its Director General. The attack on Dr. Tedros has badly divided the U.S., where Mr. Trump’s seemingly poor handling of the crisis has suddenly rejuvenated the Democrats, who sense a breach in the President’s electoral fortress, which could only widen as the campaign rolls on in the coming months.
Bill Gates’ defence
Bill Gates, the Microsoft icon and a joint anchor of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — the second-highest donor to the WHO, contributing 9.76% of the organisation’s funds — has come strongly to Dr. Tedros’ defence.
The billionaire has also implicitly slammed the U.S. President for not taking lockdowns seriously enough. “The sooner you engage in the shutdown, the easier it is to get to that peak. We have not peaked. The parts of the country that aren’t shut down, in late April we should see the numbers peak there,” Mr. Gates told CNN on March 27.
Downstream, Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party candidate, rode on Mr. Gates’ shoulders, sharpening his attacks on Mr. Trump. He told CNN that he agreed with the Microsoft co-founder that the uneven patchwork of state and local lockdowns in effect in the U.S. will inevitably cost lives and prolong the economic catastrophe.
Other celebrities who are backing Dr. Tedros include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and European Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen. On Saturday, a star-studded One World concert , which included glamour icons such as Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga, who called Dr. Tedros a “superstar,” raised $150 million for the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
China has expectedly backed Dr. Tedros, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian asserting that “under the leadership of Director-General Tedros, [the WHO] actively fulfilled its duty and played a central coordinating role in advancing global anti-pandemic cooperation, winning recognition and plaudits from the international community”.
The 55-nation African Union has praised Dr. Tedros, an Ethiopian national, for demonstrating “exceptional leadership,” signalling that a large section of the Global South, including the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement, supports the WHO chief. Backed by his powerful set of allies, it is unlikely that Dr. Tedros, who is likely to face re-election, if he chooses to, for the WHO apex in 2022, will fade away from the global limelight any time soon.
