David Nabarro, British doctor who led UN response to crises such as Ebola and Covid-19

David Nabarro, a special envoy of the World Health Organization for prevention and response to Covid-19 Victoria Jones/Pool via AP, the British doctor David Nabarro, known for leading the United Nations response to some of the largest sanitary seizures of the century, such as Avian flu, Ebola epidemic and Covid-19 pandemic, died at age 75. The information was confirmed on Saturday (26) by the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on social networks. “David was a great defender of global health and health equity, as well as a generous mentor to countless people,” Tedros wrote on the X platform. “His work touched and impacted many lives around the world.” Nabarro died on Friday (25) suddenly in his home in Ferney-Voltail, France, outside Geneva. The cause of death was not disclosed. The information was also confirmed by the Swiss Foundation 4SD, an organization focused on sustainable development and which he was a strategic director. WHO special envoy to COVID-19 since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Nabarro acted as a special WHO envoy for the pandemic. He was one of the organization’s main voices in facing the health crisis and defended, on several occasions, more international cooperation and support to the poorest countries. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, he said the crisis “it looked like nothing he had ever seen throughout his professional career.” In addition to his position at WHO, Nabarro was also a codicor of the Institute of Innovation in Global Health of Imperial College in London. Trajectory marked by global emergencies throughout his career, Nabarro played a central role in global responses to sanitary emergencies. He coordinated United Nations initiatives against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, aviary flu and other threats to public health. In recognition of his performance, he was decorated by King Charles III with the title of Knight in 2023 for his contributions to global health. In 2018, he received the World Food Prize, considered the “Nobel Prize for Food” for his work in food safety and fight against hunger. Attack in Baghdad in 2003, Nabarro survived an attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and injured dozens. At the time, he was a senior director of WHO and attended a meeting in the building when the explosion took place. “Suddenly there was this extraordinary crash,” he said days later in an emotional interview in Geneva, still with a bloodstained notebook in his hands. “We found first aid kits, took bandages and turned people aside. We were working as in a mist, with moans and shouts everywhere.” Attempted to head to WHO in 2017, Nabarro was one of the WHO director-general candidates, second in the final vote, behind Tedros Adhanom, the current head of the organization. Shortly thereafter, he left the nations united. In addition to his wife, Flo, Nabarro leaves five children and seven grandchildren. According to 4SD colleagues, his legacy as a mentor and tireless defender of health and global well-being will continue to inspire future generations. After WHO and Paris Agreement, USA also leaves UNESCO once again

Source link