Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has been appointed World Health Organization (WHO) Ambassador for Global Health Financing.

Brown is widely credited with preventing a second Great Depression through his stewardship of the 2009 London G20 summit, WHO said on Monday.

He mobilized world leaders to commit an additional $1.1 trillion to restore credit, growth and jobs to help the world economy through the global financial crisis.

More recently, Brown has tirelessly called on wealthy nations as well as the private sector to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, advocating for a concerted global effort -- rooted in science and sound economics – to save lives, end the pandemic and restore livelihoods the world over.

Read: UNGA: WHO urges world leaders to focus on vaccine equity

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, hailed Brown as a champion for galvanizing the world’s major economies to protect health and prevent future disease outbreaks.

“I am delighted and honoured that Gordon Brown has agreed to serve as WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing,"Dr Tedros said.

In this role, he will elevate and support WHO’s work to raise awareness internationally on the great need for sustained global health financing, particularly from G20 and G7 countries.

"As a longtime friend of Gordon’s, I know that he will bring his sharp intellect, firm commitment and deep sense of justice to this Ambassadorship,” said the WHO DG.

Brown said he has a tremendous personal regard for Dr Tedros with whom he first worked two decades ago, and he is delighted to be able to help his and WHO’s work raising global finance to ensure everyone has access to health.

"Our immediate task is to work together to finance the vaccination of the whole world and protect the poorest countries from the terrible effects of COVID-19 and other diseases. ”