WHO and its links with Robert Mugabe: how committed are they to health and human rights?

By Luciano Jesús Rosado-BoliviaOne of the most important “achievements” of the United Nations was the approval of the Sustainable Development Goals which, in summary, propose the key points to make the planet Earth a perfect place for the year 2030. Being a project that was promoted and approved in its chambers, the UN focuses all its efforts and resources to fully comply with the lapses that this Agenda establishes, as well as urging the governments of the 193 countries that make it up to do it in the same way. In fact, their interest is such that they are willing to publicly recognize any government or government that achieves significant progress in achieving these goals.It is normal, and even necessary, to reward those people who satisfactorily fulfil a predetermined objective. However, it is undeniable that the background of the people or organizations that are going to be awarded must be thoroughly analyzed first. This last point was completely and resoundingly forgotten by the World Health Organization, dependent on the UN.The year 2017 was nearing its end in the small African country of Zimbabwe when suddenly the Prime Minister for 37 years, Robert Mugabe agreed to abandon the mandate of the country to which he had scourged so much; this was due to the overwhelming political and military pressure against his government for several days before his resignation. Mugabe had been singled out multiple times as a repressive despot of Human Rights who prevented his citizens from accessing water, food, health and any other basic element or service in order to satisfy his cravings for power.In spite of all the demands and claims issued by several non-governmental organizations that defend human rights and in what seemed to be an inconceivable handling of information, the Director General of the World Health Organization for that period of 2017, the Ethiopian Tedros Ghebreyes, textually stressed that: “Zimbabwe is a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide medical care to all.” Therefore, he decided to name the Zimbabwean former president as “Ambassador of Good Faith” of the organization.The international community was stunned by this recognition of a man who once uttered the words: “The only white man you can trust is a dead white man.” Criticism towards the world’s most important health agency, which, despite having withdrawn the nomination almost immediately after the rain of criticism he received, he showed that it does not matter to violate the property, the freedom and even the life of your inhabitants if you guarantee them health and education, or find a way to make them believe it.