The scandal rather the crime of such nature has been done to Ethiopia since the appointment of Dr Theodros Adhanom as the Director General of the World Health Organization.
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or an organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations in which the personal interest of an individual or organization might adversely affect a duty owed to make decisions for the benefit of others. It is pursuing one’s benefits and advantages by being indifferent to what should be owed to others.
An “interest” is a commitment, obligation, duty or goal associated with a particular social role or practice. By definition, a “conflict of interest” occurs within a particular decision-making context, an individual like Dr Theodros Adhanom, particularly, when it comes to the case of the war in Ethiopia. He is subject to two coexisting interests that are indirect conflict with each other. As the Director General of the World Health Organization, in spite of the truth on the ground, using the power of his position in such international organization, he has blatantly teamed up with the terrorist junta by violating the policies of the organization he heads. He is totally negligent with the atrocities of the junta have inflicted on Afar and Amhara people. Setting aside, other war crimes that have been perpetrated by the junta, he pretends that he is oblivious of the total annihilation of health facilities all the way from hospitals down to health shades in both regions. The gang rape, the death of mothers and stillbirths due to lack of medical attention is a stark truth that nobody can deny. This shocking incidence could have alerted the internationals community to take a punitive measure against the perpetrators. Dr Adhanom and the organization he leads could have condemned the atrocious acts of the junta. Yet, the whole nation-wrecking situation is totally irrelevant to him; he is blind-folded and has a one sided judgment. Except the interest of the TPLF, whatever happens to the rest of Ethiopians means nothing to him.
Such a matter of high importance, because of lack of a just decision-making process, has disrupted or compromised in a manner that affects Dr. Theodros’ leadership integrity and or the credibility of the World Health Organization as a whole. As a matter of fact, such a big international organization is supposed to render fair services to humanity. At this juncture, the World Health Organization is found very lacking because of its Director General’s total submergence into the mire of the unprecedented conflict of interest due to his relentless commitment to justify the war crimes of the terrorist junta in Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. Such partiality of the head of any international organization is never heard of in the history of the modern world.
Typically, a conflict of interest arises when an individual finds himself or herself occupying two social roles simultaneously, which generates opposing benefits or loyalties. The interests involved can be pecuniary or non-pecuniary. The existence of such conflicts is an objective fact, not a state of mind, and does not in itself indicate any lapse or moral error. However, especially, where a decision is being taken in such context, it’s important that the contending interests be clearly identified and the process for separating them is rigorously established. Typically, this will involve the individual either giving up one of the conflicting roles or else recusing himself or herself from the particular decision-making process that is in question. This is the management quality that the World Health Organization together with its leader lacks; it seems it is oblivious of the situation in north Ethiopia. It is utterly unlikely.
The presence of a conflict of interest is independent of the occurrence of inappropriateness or the inability to be righteous in action. Therefore, if Dr Theodros Adhanom were just and wise enough, he could have discovered the conflict of interest in which he is fully involved and voluntarily defuse it before any moral corruption occurs. A morally corrupted person like Dr Theodros Adhanom behaves in a way that is morally wrong, especially by doing dishonest or illegal things in return for money or power.
Here, it should be noted that there are two types of interests: Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the health profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of the person in charge. Secondary interest includes personal benefit and is not limited to only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement, or the wish to do favors for family and friends. These secondary interests are not treated as wrong in themselves but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. This is the type of interest that Dr. Theodros Adhanom is critically blamed for, because his unfairness outweighs his accessibility to all the stakeholders. He, using his power, totally leans to the support of the perpetrator junta disregarding the pains and anguish of the Afar and Amhara people and robbing banks and private properties of these people and the total distraction of hospitals, and school, and similar institutions mercilessly. This is the unchecked and shameful occurrence of the conflict of interest at the highest level.
The in depth assessment of the situation shows that the International Health Regulations (IHR) are the international legal instrument designed to help protect all States from the international spread of disease or any situation that affects health. The purpose and scope of the International Health Regulations (IHR) are very broad, focusing upon almost all serious public health risks that might spread across international borders. The World Health Organization manifests its ignorance of the regulations when seen from how it responds to what it happening to Ethiopia.
To this end, the International Health Regulations (IHR) contains rights and obligations for member countries. The World Health Organization seriously lacks transparency, promptness and non-discriminatory in implementation. Of the flaw in WHO’s implementation process, lack of transparency stands out for nothing is clearly known about what the World Health Organization is doing concerning the war situation from the Ethiopian angle except blaming the Federal Government of Ethiopia Thus, Dr. Theodros Adhanom cannot overlook the provision of the rights of states whatsoever. Otherwise, it becomes an unforgivable breaching of the international law by a responsible individual who is supposed to protect it.
Dr, Theodros Adhanom, everything he does concerning the war in Ethiopia indicates that he is a cadre of the TPLF. As it is known when the TPLF’s force got close to Debre Birhan city, on his social media, he wrote the word “Pride!” with an exclamation mark. In addition, he listed words like Certitude, Confidence. His attitude is such that when the TPLF or the force of Tigray wins, he boasts of the heroic acts of the people he claims to belong to. He often exhibits the superiority of his ethnic group. The government of Ethiopia, having realized his negatively charged attitude, appealed to board of the World Health Organization that it should follow up Dr. Theodros Adhanom’s wrong code of conduct in response to the war in Ethiopia.
One thing we should understand is that Dr. Theodros does not have the capacity to lead such huge international organization. He is chosen for that post just only for one reason that he is an African. Because of Dr. Theodros negligence, Covid-19 has taken a toll of over five million people of the world and millions have been affected. To cover up for China, he did not make a timely warning about the dangerousness of the virus. Now Ethiopians are aware that Dr. Thedros using his international power has proven to be politician and TPLF’s cadre. These and many other things put together, because Dr, Theodros Adhanom the World Health Organization is corrupted by the conflict of interest, the situation that should be given immediate attention.
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2022
