UN withdraws appointment of ex-UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock as UNECA special envoy

The United Nations confirmed that former Health Secretary Hancock will no longer be considered for the role of UN special representative after Matt Hancock stated on Tuesday that he had been selected for the position to aid African countries in their recovery from COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Hancock said he was honoured to be working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to aid Africa's recovery from the pandemic. He also said in the UNECA announcement that he cares profoundly about making this happen not simply because of the strong economic opportunity but because they share a view of Africa as a critical long-term partner.

NGOs and campaigners outraged by Hancock's appointment

Many cabinet members including, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries congratulated him. NGOs and campaigners, on the other hand, were outraged by the appointment, which came on the same day that MPs released a report claiming that thousands of people died because the government failed to lock down early enough while Hancock was health minister, according to the Guardian. After the withdrawal, UNECA  has taken down the press statement announcing Mr Hancock's appointment from its website, which has been stripped of all references to Hancock's new post.

Global Justice, a leading anti-poverty organisation, applauded the withdrawal of Hancock's appointment. According to its spokesperson, it is appropriate for the United Nations to review this appointment. When Matt Hancock was in power, he would have backed a patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccinations. According to the I News, the spokesperson further stated that the African continent does not require a "failed British politician" and this is not the nineteenth century anymore. Global Justice Now stated in a tweet that Matt Hancock thwarted international efforts to allow low-and middle-income countries to develop their own COVID-19 vaccines, resulting in millions of deaths in the global south.

Hancock's appointment came four months after he resigned from his cabinet post after images of him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo were published in a British publication. When the issue became known, Mr Hancock was pressured to resign as Health Secretary by his colleagues and the public, according to the I News.

Image: AP