WHO Short-lists Five Candidates For Director General Post

By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a short list of five candidates for the post of director general, sources said. The list includes: China, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico and Spain.

A number of sources have indicated to Intellectual Property Watch that the candidates who are most likely to replace Lee Jong-wook, who passed away in May this year, are Margaret Chan of China, Shigeru Omi of Japan or Julio Frenk of Mexico.

The other two candidates are Kazem Behbehani from Kuwait and Elena Salgado Méndez of Spain, the WHO said.

Some sources have indicated that Frenk has a strong chance because an Asian, Ban Ki-moon from South Korea, was recently elected director general of the United Nations.

The 34-member WHO Executive Board is meeting at the headquarters in Geneva from 6-8 November and will choose a candidate from the short list, the WHO said in a press release.

The board will interview the candidates on 7 November, and nominate one on 8 November, submitting the name to the 9 November World Health Assembly special session, according to the WHO.

According to an informed source, one Asian country, which is on the WHO Executive Board, does not think the Chinese candidate is strong, and at least one Latin American country does not support the Mexican candidate.

All 159 member countries of the WHO will be able to attend the special session. All may also sit in on the board meetings, but only those serving on the board are allowed to vote, according to the Lancet medical journal.

“The Health Assembly will consider the nomination of the director general at a private meeting and will come to a decision on the appointment of the next director general through a secret ballot,” the WHO said.

This assembly will also decide on the term of office and the contract of the next director general, the WHO said.

Today’s short list was drawn from a list of 11 candidates, according to the WHO. The candidates that have dropped from the list are: David Gunnarsson (Iceland), Nay Htun (Myanmar), Bernard Kouchner (France), Pascoal Manuel Mocumbi (Mozambique), Pekka Puska (Finland) and Tomris Türmen (Turkey), the WHO said.

For more information on the candidates, visit IPW, Public Health, 31 August 2006.

Tove Gerhardsen may be reached at tgerhardsen@ip-watch.ch.