Director-General of the World Health Organization
| Director-General of the World Health Organization | |
|---|---|
| File:World Health Organization Logo.svg Logo of the World Health Organization | |
| File:Flag of WHO.svg Flag of the World Health Organization | |
| World Health Organization Secretariat | |
| Style | Honourable |
| Type | Director-General |
| Status | Head of World Health |
| Member of | World Health Organization |
| Reports to | World Health Assembly |
| Nominator | Executive Board |
| Appointer | World Health Assembly |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable |
| Formation | 7 April 1948 |
| First holder | Brock Chisholm |
| Deputy | Deputy Director-General |
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The director-general of the World Health Organization is the chief executive officer of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the principal advisor to the United Nations on matters pertaining to global health. The director general is elected by and answers to the World Health Assembly (WHA).[1] The current director-general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was appointed on 1 July 2017,[2] and re-appointed on 24 May 2022.[3] The director-general also leads the World Health Organization Secretariat and is also the ex officio secretary of the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization Executive Board, and of all commissions and committees, and conferences convened by the organization.[4]
Selection process
[edit | edit source]Candidates for director-general can be proposed by Member States, then nominated by the executive board and appointed by the World Health Assembly.[5]
The appointment process begins more than one year prior to the May vote, when the World Health Organization sends out a letter informing Member States that the nomination process has begun. The nomination period ends in mid-September, and candidates are announced at the end of October. If there are multiple candidates, the executive board of the World Health Organization – a panel of members from 34 member countries representing the various World Health Organization regions – interviews the nominees.[6]
The term of the director-general lasts for five years. A director-general can be re-appointed only once.[7] The director-general is typically appointed in May, when the World Health Assembly meets.[citation needed]
List of directors-general of the World Health Organization
[edit | edit source]| No.[8] | Image | Nationality | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Brock Chisholm 2.jpg | Canada Canada | Brock Chisholm | 1948–1953 |
| 2 | File:Marcolino Gomes Candau (1972).jpg | Brazil Brazil | Marcolino Gomes Candau | 1953–1973 |
| 3 | File:Halfdan Mahler by Erling Mandelmann.jpg | Denmark Denmark | Halfdan T. Mahler | 1973–1988 |
| 4 | Japan Japan | Hiroshi Nakajima 中嶋 宏 |
1988–1998 | |
| 5 | File:Gro Harlem Brundtland 2009.jpg | Norway Norway | Gro Harlem Brundtland | 21 July 1998 – 28 January 2003 |
| 6 | File:Dr Lee Jong-wook.jpg | South Korea South Korea | Lee Jong-wook 이종욱 |
28 January 2003 – 23 May 2006 |
| – | Sweden Sweden | Anders Nordström* | 23 May 2006 – 9 November 2006 | |
| 7 | File:Margaret Chan 1-1.jpg | Hong Kong Hong Kong | Margaret Chan 陳馮富珍 |
9 November 2006 – 30 June 2017 |
| 8 | File:Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - AI for Good Global Summit 2018 (40316994230) (cropped).jpg | Ethiopia Ethiopia | Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ |
1 July 2017 – Incumbent |
| *Appointed acting Director-General following the death of Lee Jong-wook while in office | ||||
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References
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- ^ Constitution of the World Health Organization Basic Documents, 45th edition, Supplement, October 2006 Archived 21 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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