Leading The World Health Organization: Challenges & Opportunities Ahead For A New Director-General [GUEST ESSAY]
Newsletter Edition #326 [The Files In-Depth]
Hi,
Global Health in Geneva is gearing up for a change at the World Health Organization. The term of its current leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will conclude in 2027.
The official nominations for the candidates to lead the UN’s only technical agency will open in a matter of weeks.
In this edition, we bring you a guest essay from leading global health scholars - Michel Kazatchkine, Ilona Kickbusch and Peter Piot - where they raise ten questions facing the future leader of the WHO.
We hope that this contribution sparks debate and dialogue, and will help in articulating the role of a future DG in a swiftly changing global health ecosystem.
On the candidates themselves, there are a swirl of names in Geneva and in national capitals. We would wait for the official nominations to be filed, that demonstrate serious political will and a commitment of resources to enter the ring. As always, we keep a healthy distance from power, but we are watching and reporting closely.
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More soon!
Best,
Priti
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I. GUEST ESSAY
Leading The World Health Organization: Challenges & Opportunities Ahead For A New Director-General
By Michel Kazatchkine, Ilona Kickbusch, Peter Piot
In a previous commentary, we had shared our thoughts on the issues that the member states of WHO could take up in the governing bodies of WHO to move the organization forward and to set it on a sustainable path for the next decade. We had identified three areas of strategic reform: refocus WHO on its key global norms and standard-setting mandate, ensure WHO’s financial independence and strengthen WHO governance and accountability.
These will still be on the agenda when a new DG will take office mid 2027– indeed some of the specific issues we identified will need to be deferred to a new leadership, pressing though they might be. Candidates will start to position themselves early on. No doubt, countries have been exploring informally, also during the 158th Executive Board meeting in February of 2026, on the names of potential candidates who would be put forward when the formal process begins in September/October 2026. The nominations process will open as early as March 2026. The Geneva hallways and embassies are already buzzing with rumors.
The short list of candidates will be decided by the WHO Executive Board in January/February 2027, followed by more candidate forums and interviews; the election will take place at the WHA in May 2027. Throughout this period candidates will also be traveling to member states to introduce themselves and their programs and virtual interviews will surely take place. Things will get particularly intense once the short list has been decided in early 2027.
As the web forums and in-person candidate forums are conducted, countries will need to know what – aside from their geopolitical considerations – they are looking for in a candidate.
In our previous article, we focused on the challenges the member states need to address to strengthen WHO – but the interviews with candidates must not only aim to get their positions on priorities but also to gain a better understanding on how the candidates will together with the member states take the necessary strategic reforms forward.
We have put together a list of ten HOWS that might be considered in combination with the eight priority challenges for the organization that we have already put forward. The world needs, maybe more than ever, a strong and independent WHO. That means it needs a strong and forward-looking Director General.
