UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised the agreement, and urged "all Ethiopians and the international community to support the bold step taken today."[72] Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated "It is very much a welcome first step, which we hope can start to bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that have really suffered during this conflict."[2] Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, of the agreement: "peace is a prerequisite for health. We welcome the commitment of the Parties to work towards peace in Tigray, Ethiopia."[37] African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki said that he "warmly commend the Parties for signing a cessations of hostilities agreement following talks facilitated by the AU Panel" and that the African Union "is committed to continue supporting the Parties to find lasting peace & reconciliation for all Ethiopians."[3][4] Acting Director of Africa CDC Ogwell Ouma stated that, while they were not present at the signing, were pleased to hear about the outcome of the talks. Ouma further indicated that "as soon as the situation allows, we will be sending back our teams to the ground because there's a lot of the public health emergency issues to deal with at the moment."[37] Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell stated that "further negotiations are encouraged to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement."