Press conference on the Publication of the final report of the Independent Commission

Submitted by elombatd@who.int on Tue, 28/09/2021 - 13:42

Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti

Thank you very much Dr Tedros, and I’d like in my turn to say good morning, good afternoon and good evening to our colleagues in the media who have joined us for this press conference.

I would like to join the Director-General in thanking very sincerely the Independent Commission – the two co-chairs, the other members – for carrying out such important work and carrying it out so thoroughly and to this level of quality that we are going to be hearing about.

We in WHO are indeed humbled, horrified and heartbroken by the findings of this inquiry.

I’d like also to thank all the women and girls who have come forward and given evidence to the investigation and thus have given us the basis on which to take action in WHO which has been necessary.

I’d like to indicate that as WHO leadership we apologize to the women and the girls, for the suffering they have had because of the actions of our staff members and people that we have sent into their communities to help in a very difficult situation of an epidemic.

I also would like to commit ourselves in WHO to carrying out the recommendations of this thorough analysis of the situation by the Commission and to promise that it is our determination that such a situation will not happen again on our watch.

Thank you very much Dr Tedros.