Hungary – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), should come to Budapest soon, according to Hungarian minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó.
In a Facebook post published on October 5 after their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Péter Szijjártó said that “Tedros will soon be visiting Budapest to officially hand over the WHO’s Budapest centre, where an international staff of 100 is working on the world’s most important health issues.”
Hungarian Foreign Affairs Szijjártó noted that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and he have been working together for a long time, as he previously was his counterpart for his country, Ethiopia.
“I have always valued his work; he was able to keep the WHO as a politically neutral, professional organization, which was crucial in overcoming the COVID pandemic,” said Péter Szijjártó.
“Once again we agreed that protecting people’s health has nothing to do with geopolitics, viruses know no borders, no political approach, no geopolitical conflicts, and that a united global action is needed to protect people’s health. There is no room for East-West debate in the health field,” stated the Hungarian minister.
Back in 2016, the WHO has moved some of its Geneva-based operations to Budapest, including its Collaborating Centre on Human Resources for Health Development. With originally 20 people, the office has now grown to 100 workers after further operations have been transferred to Budapest.
Since the opening of the centre, many other services have been hosted in Budapest, including procurement and supply, talent recruitment and management, cybersecurity, fleet administration, and a global insurance centre.
The World Health Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations, which aim is to enhance global health quality and ensure the highest standards of health for individuals. Hungary has been persistently dedicated to cooperation with the organisation and the realisation of these goals.