 |
In
this photo dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
during his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, at the Presidential
Guesthouse in Pretoria, South Africa. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
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The head of the World
Health Organization revoked his appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert
Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" on Sunday after the choice drew
widespread outrage and criticism. Zimbabwe's government said it respected the
turnabout and that the U.N. health agency "benefited tremendously"
from the attention.
Associated
Press report continues:
WHO
director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus last week told a conference in Uruguay on
non-communicable diseases that Mugabe, who was present, had agreed to be a
"goodwill ambassador" on the issue.
After
the outcry by international leaders and health experts, Tedros said in a
statement that he had reflected and decided to change his mind, calling it in
the best interests of the U.N. health agency. Tedros said he had consulted with
the Zimbabwe government about his decision.
The
93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has long been criticized
at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous
economy falls apart and the country's health care system deteriorates. Mugabe
also faces U.S. sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.
The
United States had said the appointment of Mugabe by WHO's first African leader
"clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights
and human dignity."
Two
dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation and Cancer Research
U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials
were "shocked and deeply concerned." The groups said they had raised
their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the Uruguay conference, to no
avail.
Zimbabwe's
government said it respected Tedros' decision to withdraw Mugabe's appointment.
Foreign
Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi told state broadcaster ZBC that the U.N. health
agency "benefited tremendously" from the original decision to name
Mugabe to the post because of the global attention that resulted.
"On
a name-recognition scale this name beats them all, but it is our business to
protect its brand equity from unnecessary besmirching," Mzembi said.
"So on the balance, it is wiser to let go."
The
heads of U.N. agencies and the U.N. secretary-general typically choose
celebrities and other prominent people as ambassadors to draw attention to
global issues of concern, such as refugees (Angelina Jolie) and education (Malala
Yousafzai). The choices are not subject to approval.
The
ambassadors hold little actual power. They also can be fired. The comic book
heroine Wonder Woman was removed from her honorary U.N. ambassador job in
December following protests that a white, skimpily dressed American prone to
violence wasn't the best role model for girls.
Zimbabwe
once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity
Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in the
southern African nation's health system, saying Mugabe's policies had led to a
man-made crisis.
"The
government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its
population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health
care," the group concluded. Mugabe's policies led directly to "the
shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the
beatings of health workers."
Mugabe,
who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has been criticized at home
for his frequent overseas travels for medical treatment that have cost
impoverished Zimbabwe millions of dollars. His repeated visits to Singapore
have heightened concerns over his health, even as he pursues re-election next
year.
The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.
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