Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
Speaking during the COP31 Health Day press conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on Monday, November 9, Tedros said climate change was no longer a distant threat but an immediate public health crisis requiring urgent investment in resilient health systems.
WHO Director General warned that funding shortages were already forcing some countries to reduce healthcare services, scale back programmes and close facilities, with potentially devastating consequences for vulnerable populations
Tedros has been a highly visible and sometimes polarising leader during his tenure. The person chosen in May 2027 will inherit both his record and the unresolved challenges that remain on the WHO's agenda.
The current trial is sponsored by the WHO, and is being co-ordinated by scientists at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford in the UK.
According to WHO, no additional cases have been reported since May 25, paving the way for the outbreak to be formally closed under international public health guidelines.
According to WHO, the success of containment efforts now depends on access to affected areas, with officials stressing that “stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 750 suspected Ebola cases and 177 suspected deaths had been recorded, cautioning that the situation remained fluid as surveillance and laboratory testing continued to improve.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns that chronic underfunding and earmarked aid threaten global health progress, even as the agency reports 2025 gains against polio, HIV, cervical cancer and other diseases.
Speaking during WHO’s first media briefing of 2026, Tedros urged governments to urgently strengthen domestic health financing, highlighting health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks as a proven and sustainable solution.
The report points out that cuts in humanitarian funding have severely impacted maternal healthcare in fragile areas, closing down health facilities and halting essential supplies.