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WHO Leadership Race Heats Up: 5 Candidates Vie for Top Spot
25 Sep
Summary
- Five candidates from different countries are running for WHO Director-General.
- A candidates' forum is scheduled for November, with a shortlist in January 2027.
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has led the WHO since 2017, navigating pandemics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has seen a fifth candidate enter the contest to succeed Ethiopia's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as Director-General. The nominations closed overnight, with contenders emerging from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Spain, and Indonesia.
These nominees include Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari of Qatar, a former health minister; Saudi Arabia's Hanan Balkhy, who leads the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office; Belgium's Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe; Spain's Maria Neira, a physician and former WHO director; and Indonesia's current health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
A candidates' forum is slated to occur in November. Subsequently, the WHO's Executive Board will select up to three candidates for a final shortlist in January 2027. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been the Director-General since 2017, a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks.
