President Paul Kagame Honoured by WHO for Global Pandemic Leadership

President Kagame Receives WHO Recognition for Pandemic Preparedness Leadership

President Paul Kagame, on Thursday, July 10, 2025, was officially honored by the World Health Organization (WHO) in his outstanding leadership and advocacy towards enhancing international cooperation in pandemic prevention and response.

The Rwandan leader was recognized together with 19 other world leaders who contributed to the promotion of a historic Pandemic Agreement, a legally binding international tool meant to enhance preparedness in occasions of global health emergencies. The acknowledgment was made at the first ever WHO Pandemic Agreement which was in Geneva, Switzerland.

 "The World Together" Award from WHO

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented President Kagame with the certificate of recognition known as the world together. The award was received, on behalf of Kagame, by the Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa who serves as the Rwanda Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

This accreditation identifies Kagame as a firm believer in ensuring that the world has a healthy system that focuses on inclusion, collaboration, and resilience not to mention the underserved end of the world such as Africa.

“A proud recognition of Rwanda’s leadership in building an inclusive global health system that leaves no region, especially Africa, behind,”
wrote Ambassador Bakuramutsa on X (formerly Twitter).

Rwanda’s Role in Strengthening Global Health Security

In more recent events, Rwanda has been put in the spotlight regarding its primary role in global health, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Kagame has always demanded to find a more efficient cooperation with the countries of the world, well-developed national health systems, and an independent system of healthcare independence in the African continent.

The recognition from WHO aligns with Rwanda’s broader role in:

• Advocating for a legally binding pandemic treaty
• Promoting equitable access to medical resources
• Partnering with pharmaceutical companies to build local vaccine production capacity
• Encouraging domestic health financing to reduce reliance on external aid

Building Health Resilience Through Local Solutions

Development of local capabilities in healthcare, especially manufacturing of vaccines and vital medicines, is an area President Kagame has often insisted on to enhance the role of African countries. Rwanda has done a lot in this regard to the extent that it has signed agreements with such world biotech companies as BioNTech to set up trailing mRNA vaccine plants in Kigali.

In a February 2025 address during a high-level meeting on domestic health financing held on the sidelines of the 38th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Kagame remarked:

“The work to build our continent, including our health, cannot be outsourced to anyone else… Current events are therefore an invitation for us to take full ownership of our challenges and find alternative ways of addressing them.”

 Kagame’s Vision for Africa: Health Security Through Unity

The President has pointed out severally that healthcare is a strategic investment rather than a cost. He has called upon the governments of Africa, players in the private sector and philanthropists to come together in the creation of healthy and self-reliant healthcare systems.

To him, the only way ahead, in addressing the next pandemic, and current health burdens in the continent, are regional cooperation, and continental ownership of health solutions.

 WHO Pandemic Agreement Summit: A Global Milestone

The recognition was introduced at a meeting of the WHO Pandemic Agreement under which the leaders, policymakers, and health experts gathered to establish the first binding international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response in the world.

Delegates focused on the strategies on how to prevent the global health crises in the future, development of the better surveillance systems, investment in the early warning systems, and equitable vaccination in all countries.

This is a global discussion on which President Kagame has put Rwanda at the center.

In Photos

• Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa receives the certificate on behalf of President Kagame during the WHO Pandemic Agreement summit.
• WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros presents the recognition to each of the 20 champions who have advanced the global treaty.
• Delegates from multiple continents gather in Geneva to mark this historic shift in global pandemic readiness.

Rwanda Leads by Example

The awarding of WHO to President Kagame is not just an individual accomplishment but this is indicative of the emerging role of Rwanda on the international scene of health dialogue. His support of international treaties which are followed by legal obligation in order to achieve healthcare provision, financing of treatment in the country, and self-sustainability of vaccines reflects long-term health security of Africa and the world.

With the effort of countries to adopt the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the leadership of Kagame presents as an example of how nations, no matter the size, can change world policy with vision, continuity, and participatory politics.

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