How Novel Concert, ‘One World, Together At Home’ Raised N50bn

BY CAMI EZENWA

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has again led in innovative approaches in tackling a really serious global problem, using coronavirus as example.

The global body has just raised a whopping $127 million (about N 49,466,500m) in its bid to support fight against the raging pandemic, using the avenue of a concert.

The Eagle reports that the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who made the revelation while speaking with journalists yesterday, was full of thanks for the support coming from different angles in the concerted fight.

He was also full of appreciation for the WHO collaborators and technical staff whose idea birthed the concert concept.

“I’d like to start by thanking the many musicians, comedians and humanitarians who made Saturday’s “One World, Together at Home” concert an enormous success. So humbled, and the whole WHO community is very grateful for the support that poured over 8 hours.

“WHO is proud to have co-organised this event with Global Citizen, my brother Hugh Evans and Lady Gaga, and I also want to thank my colleague Paul Garwood who came up with the idea and has worked incredibly hard for several weeks to make it happen”.

Commending the uniqueness of the concert, Dr Ghebreyesus, told journalists at the virtual press conference that it was a fallout of his request for crazy ideas, that was readily picked up by Paul Garwood

“But as a boss I take all the credit and I shouldn’t do that. All the credit goes to my colleague Paul Garwood from our communications department. I hope all my staff will continue to give me crazy ideas. I’m proud to be WHO – very, very proud”.

Proving an idea how the fund would be utilised, the global health helmsman, said it would support  several organiations responding to COVID-19, on different fronts, adding that US$55 million would go to WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund.

The DG informed that the fund had as at yesterday, raised more than 194 million dollars from more than 270,000 individuals, corporations and foundations, and these formed part of address he delivered to health ministers from G20 countries.

“I appreciate the expressions of support from many countries for WHO’s coordinating role and our technical guidance.

I also appreciate the statements of the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement expressing their strong support for WHO.

As you know, the G77 – 133 countries and the Non-Aligned Movement, 120 countries. This is a big vote of confidence, and we thank NAM and we thank the G77 countries”, he said.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who hails from Ethiopia, was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017.

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer.

Immediately after taking office on 1 July 2017 Dr Tedros outlined five key priorities for the Organization: universal health coverage; health emergencies; women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health; health impacts of climate and environmental change; and a transformed WHO.