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HEALTH ADVOCATE: Former president of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

ELLEN JOHNSON Sirleaf has been named as a World Health Organization (WHO) goodwill ambassador for health.

The former prime minister of Liberia will be specifically tasked with promoting stronger health workforces around the world.

Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker and his wife Dr Natália Loewe Becker, have both been appointed WHO goodwill ambassadors for health promotion, while Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and president of Born This Way Foundation, has been named WHO goodwill ambassador for mental health.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “I welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Cynthia Germanotta, Alisson Becker and Natália Loewe Becker as WHO’s new Goodwill Ambassadors and look forward to working with them over the coming years.

“Each of our new ambassadors are champions in their own right, from helping their communities rebuild and develop sustainably, to fighting for better mental health and well-being, to being role models for healthier living.”

Johnson Sirleaf, 80, said she was “ready to join others to make global health work for all”.

The WHO's ambassadors are appointed for two years and assist in the organisation's efforts to raise awareness about important health issues and solutions.

Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa, oversaw the expansion of primary healthcare in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2015. She was instrumental in the creation of more than 4,000 new health worker roles as part of the country’s post-Ebola response.

Last year, Johnson Sirleaf, a symbol of the progress of female empowerment and a champion of women and girls, spoke to The Voice about the rising representation of women in politics throughout Africa.

“Sub-Saharan Africa has seen some of the most dramatic breakthrough in women’s political representation in national legislative bodies and beyond."

She added: “African democracies have produced women trailblazers… who inspire young girls to get involved in political and civil life.”

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