The World Health Organization (WHO) sets out the modalities to elect the successor to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose term concludes on 15 August 2027. WHO notes:
The current election process began in April 2026 when the Director-General invited Member States to submit candidatures for the post of Director-General. The deadline for submitting proposals is 24 September 2026. The Executive Board at its 160th session in 2027 will nominate up to three candidates for consideration by the World Health Assembly. The appointment of the next Director-General will take place at the Eightieth World Health Assembly, due to take place in May 2027.
While the 80th session of the World Health Assembly elects the next Director-General (under the principle of one country, one vote), the 34-member Executive Board winnows down the pool of candidates to a shortlist of up to three names at its 160th session (25 January 2027 to 2 February 2027). Consequently, the WHO Executive Board plays a key vetting role in the selection of the next WHO Director-General.
The WHO Executive Board is comprised of these members:
AFRICA
CABO VERDE (2025-2028)
Dr. Artur Correia
Consultant in Public Health and Health Systems
Praia
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (2025-2028)
Dr Pierre Somse
Ministre de la Santé et de la Population
Bangui
CÔTE D’IVOIRE (2026-2029)
Professeur Mamadou SAMBA
Professeur Titulaire en Santé Publique et Economiste de la Santé
Directeur Général de la Santé
Ministère de la Santé de l’Hygiène et de la Couverture Maladie Universelle
Abidjan
GUINEA (2026-2029)
Dr Mory KEITA
Secrétaire Général
Ministère de la Santé et de l’Hygiène Publique
Conakry
MOZAMBIQUE (2026-2029)
Dr Quinhas Fernandes
National Director of Public Health
Ministry of Health
Maputo
SOUTH SUDAN (2026-2029)
Mr Luke Thompson Thoan
Minister of Health
Ministry of Health
Juba
ZIMBABWE (2024-2027)
Dr Aspect J.V. Maunganidze
Permanent Secretary for Health and Child care
Ministry of Health and Child Care
Harare
AMERICAS
CHILE (2024-2027)
Ms. Catalina Bienzobas Darraidou
Head of the Department of Cooperation and International Relations of the Ministry of Health of Chile
Santiago
COSTA RICA (2024-2027)
Mr Roberto Céspedes Gómez
Chargé d’Affaires
Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva
Switzerland
EL SALVADOR (2025-2028)
Dr Elmer Roberto Bonilla Espinoza
Jefe de la Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales y Cooperación en Salud
San Salvador
HAITI (2025-2028)
Dr Bertrand Sinal
Ministre de la Santé publique et de la Population
Port-au-Prince
PANAMA (2025-2028)
Dr Yelkis Gill
Director General of Public Health
Panama
SURINAME (2026-2029)
Dr André Th. Misiekaba
Minister of Health, Welfare and Labor
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor
Paramaribo
SOUTH-EAST ASIA
BHUTAN (2026-2029)
Mr. Tandin Wangchuk
Minister of Health
Ministry of Health
Thimphu
NEPAL (2025-2028)
Hon’ble Minister Neesha Mehta
Minister
Ministry of Health and Population
Kathmandu
THAILAND (2024-2027)
Mr Pattana Promphat
Minister of Health
Ministry of Public Health
Nonthaburi
EUROPE
BULGARIA (2024-2027)
Professor Plamen Dimitrov
Director, National Centre of Public Health and Analyses
Sofia
GEORGIA (2026-2029)
Mr. Irakli Sasania
First Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia
Tbilisi
ISRAEL (2024-2027)
Dr Asher Salmon
Head, International Relations Division
Ministry of Health
Jerusalem
NORWAY (2024-2027)
Dr Cathrine Marie Lofthus
Director General of Health and Chief Medical Officer
Norwegian Directorate of Health
Oslo
POLAND (2024-2027)
Mrs Katarzyna Drążek -Laskowska
Director, Department of International Co-operation
Ministry of Health
Warsaw
SERBIA (2025-2028)
Dr Zlatibor Lončar
Minister of Health
Belgrade
SPAIN (2025-2028)
Sra. Mónica García Gómez
Ministra de Sanidad
Madrid
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND (2026-2029)
Professor Chris Whitty
Chief Medical Officer
Department of Health and Social Care
London
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
EGYPT (2025-2028)
Professor Mohamed Hassany
Assistant Minister of Health for Projects and Public Health Initiatives
Cairo
KUWEIT (2026-2029)
Dr Abdulrahman Alqashaan
Director of the Department of International Organizations and Agreements
Ministry of Health
Sulaibikhat
LEBANON (2024-2027)
Dr Rakan Nassereldine
Minister of Public Health
Beirut
SAUDI ARABIA (2025-2028)
Mr Fahad Abdurrhaman Aljalayel
Minister of Health
Riyadh
SOMALIA (2024-2027)
Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar
Minister of Health and Human Services
Mogadishu
WESTERN PACIFIC
CHINA (2026-2029)
Mr Yong Feng
Director General
Department of International Cooperation
National Health Commission
Beijing
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (2024-2027)
Dr Haji Mohammad Isham Haji Jaafar
Minister of Health
Bandar Seri Begawan
JAPAN (2025-2028)
Dr Yasuhiro Suzuki
Advisor for International Affairs to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Tokyo
REPUBLIC OF KOREA (2024-2027)
Dr Hyung-hoon Lee
Vice Minister for Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare
Seoul
SOLOMON ISLANDS (2025-2028)
Dr Paul Popora Bosawai
Minister of Health and Medical Services
Honiara
When the WHO Executive Board meets for its 160th session in 2027, Bhutan, China, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, United Kingdom and 29 other EB members will vet the next global health czar. While health experts from London and Seoul to Juba, Paramaribo, Oslo, and Mogadishu will have a seat at the table, policymakers in Abuja, Berlin, Paris, Pretoria, Jakarta, and New Delhi must look on from the wings.