Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is dead. He died earlier today in New York aged 68.
Dr. Osotimehin was Nigeria’s former minister of health as well as the Director-General of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), between 2002 and 2007.
Dr Osotimehin was a renowned global public health leader widely regarded for his work on sexual and reproductive health. He was appointed as the head UNFPA in November 2010 and assumed office on 1 January 2011. He was re-appointed on 21st August 2014.
“The world has lost a great champion of health and well-being for all.” “Dr. Osotimehin was admired globally for his leadership of the UN Population Fund and for his forceful advocacy for the world’s women and girls in particular,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement.
“Dr. Osotimehin was a constant partner and respected leader in the global effort to provide essential health care to women and adolescents around the world.” “He was also a vocal advocate for improving collaboration across the UN family, with a focus on achieving results, especially for the poorest and most disadvantaged,” said Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Young people have lost a champion today,” so says the head of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Michel Sidibé.
Dr. Osotimehin qualified as a doctor from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1972, and went to the University of Birmingham, England, where he got a doctorate in medicine in 1979. Among other honours, he received the Nigerian national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger in December 2005. He led several councils, including in the World Economic Forum.
He was married, had five children and several grandchildren
