Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has long faced United States sanctions over his government’s human rights abuses. But the World Health Organization’s new chief is making the longtime African leader a "goodwill ambassador."

With Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus told a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases that he’d agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

Tedros, an Ethiopian who became WHO’s first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region."

A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press on Friday.

In his speech, Tedros described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all."

Two dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."