Zim woman lands top WHO post
A ZIMBABWEAN woman, Ms Chipo Mpemba, has been appointed co-chair of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Commission on Social Connection.
The Commission will have its secretariat housed at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and will run for three years. Its members are drawn from various institutions. The seven-member Commission was appointed by WHO director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyusus.
It will be co-chaired by Commissioner Mpemba, who is also serving as the youngest co-chair in a WHO Commission and currently the youngest diplomat in the African Union chairperson’s cabinet alongside Dr Vivek Muphy, who served as the 19th surgeon-general under former United States President Barack Obama.
Dr Murphy is serving as the 21st surgeon-general of the United States.
Speaking during the e-launch, Comm Mpemba said social isolation knows no age boundaries, impacting one in four older individuals globally and five to 15 percent of adolescents.
“As the African Union Chairperson’sYouth Envoy, I have seen this first-hand, how young people, the innovators of our society, have grappled with the lack of social connection,” she said.“Despite increased digital activity, some have turned to online platforms to alleviate disconnection, revealing a complex interplay between technology and genuine human connection.”
Comm Mpemba said continents such as Africa, where the majority of the population comprisesyoungpeople,facemultiplechallengesfromdisplacementtounemployment andthestruggletoremainsociallyconnected intensifies.Shesaiddigitalspaces,whileoffering refuge for some, also present limitations on authentic human connectedness, highlighting the intricate relationship between social ties and societal well-being.
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