On behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development, I congratulate Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on being elected the next Director-General of the World Health Organization.

I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Tedros while helping to lead USAID's Bureau for Global Health. And as an institution, USAID has partnered with Dr. Tedros for more than a decade, under his tenure as Minister of Health in Ethiopia from 2005 to 2012 and during his time as Chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I know Dr. Tedros to be a committed and effective public servant, and we look forward to working alongside him as he leads the WHO, to continue our fight against the world's most significant public health challenges.

A leader in development and global health, Dr. Tedros has extensive experience working to end the scourge of malaria and has also been a strong supporter of maternal and child survival programs. His commitment, and that of his country, was especially evident in 2012 when he helped launch the Call to Action, a global effort to reduce child and maternal mortality. While Ethiopia's Minister of Health, Dr. Tedros elevated the Ministry's capacity to address infectious diseases, extended health services to previously marginalized populations, and invested in health system strengthening.

WHO plays a central role in combating pandemic threats and must continue to implement critical transparency and accountability reforms to streamline its effectiveness and respond to the diseases of the future. Speaking for myself and everyone at USAID, we look forward to partnering with Dr. Tedros to strengthen the WHO and other global efforts to protect public health.