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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Meeting with WHO’s interns is one of the most inspiring internal activities I do.

Photo of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from mckinsey.com

Aug 14, 2024, 12:57

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Meeting with WHO’s interns is one of the most inspiring internal activities I do.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared on LinkedIn:

“Meeting with World Health Organization’s interns is one of the most inspiring internal activities I do.

I try my best to meet with them regularly to discuss their challenges, career opportunities, to answer their questions and to brainstorm with them.

In the past 7 years, we made significant progress in the way we recruit and engage interns:

1) Talent is global but opportunity is not – this is why we introduced a stipend, so that those who couldn’t afford living costs during their internship still get the opportunity to join us and contribute;

2) On top of the stipend we introduced, and recently increased in Geneva, lunch vouchers to make sure our interns can afford healthy meals while at work;

3) As part of the benefits package, we are also covering the health insurance of our interns;

4) In our last meeting, we agreed that interns will no longer have a three-month break of service (as per the current WHO policy) after they complete their internship. They will now be able to compete for all types of positions after their internship is over making it possible to continue to work at WHO;

5) Last, but not least, our interns have led multiple initiatives to promote environmental health and celebrate diversity across the organization including via “Cultural Fridays”.

As a result, diversity among our intern candidates has increased significantly with over 50% of interns joining us from low- and lower-income countries, and the number of female interns is 75%.

We will only be able to achieve Health For All if we bring ALL talents to the table. If you are interested in being part of the WHO internship programme, here’s how you can apply.”

Source: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/LinkedIn

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), a position he has held since 2017. In this role, he has led global health initiatives and responses to public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, Dr. Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, where he significantly improved healthcare infrastructure and expanded access to health services. He also served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, strengthening international diplomatic relations and advocating for health as a key component of global development.