About the lecture
The annual Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture, jointly hosted by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and Uppsala University, is given in memory of Dag Hammarskjöld. It recognises individuals who exhibit the values that inspired him personally and as Secretary-General: compassion, humanism, and commitment to international solidarity and cooperation.
The event will take place in the Uppsala University Grand Auditorium (Aula Magna) on 28 November. The lecture is public and requires no registration.
About Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2017. Born in the Eritrean city of Asmara, he graduated with a Bachelor of Biology from the University of Asmara, a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London and completed a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham. He also holds an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
During his early career Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus worked in Ethiopia supporting health services delivery as a field-level malariologist, then as head of a regional health service. He later served as Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012. During this time, he led the country’s health system reform, built on the foundation of universal health coverage and provision of services to all, including the most remote areas. This position was followed as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016 when he lifted health as a political issue nationally, regionally and globally. In this role, he led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prior to his election as Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held many leadership positions in global health, including as Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board.
Leading the Global COVID-19 Response; strengthening global health security; expanding Universal Health Coverage; addressing climate change and health; tackling disease outbreaks beyond COVID-19; and bringing attention to mental health and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are some of the key contributions he is making.