BERLIN – The WHO Director-General election process ignited its first public candidate conversation on Sunday (11 October) at the 2026 World Health Summit in Berlin, as four of the race’s seven declared contenders tackled the thorny question of how to make global health institutions more responsive and fit for purpose. The opening day’s flagship event […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly chooses a new chief for the World Health Organization in May 2027. Before judging the candidates, assess the predecessors. Eight people have held the post over 78 years. Their varied track record offers pointers for selecting the future incumbent. Every five years, WHO rediscovers that its Director-Generalship is a political office […] Continue reading ->
More sexual misconduct and abusive claims were filed against WHO staff, than closed, over the previous month – with 361 open cases in 2026, as of the beginning of September, according to the agency’s own investigations dashboard. In August, the last month reported, investigators opened 37 new sexual and abusive conduct cases and closed 25 […] Continue reading ->
The WHO lists Germany as its largest donor in 2020-21 and second largest since. Those days are ending. The Bundestag is considering a 2027 budget that grows by almost 6%, mostly for defence, while cutting the health ministry’s operational fund to strengthen international health by 15.3%, from €55.9 million to €47.33 million. Of the $262 […] Continue reading ->
Zambia and the United States finally signed a bilateral health aid agreement on Thursday – after a 10-month delay as the US pushed for better access to the country’s minerals and changes to mining and agricultural regulations in exchange for health aid. In 2024, 84% of Zambia’s HIV programme was funded by the US President’s […] Continue reading ->
Beijing confirmed the nomination of National Health Commission official Dr Song Li for WHO Director-General on Thursday (8 October). The move expands the candidate field to seven amidst severe geopolitical ruptures shaking up the agency, with experts warning this move could further heighten superpower tensions. In announcing the bid, Chinese officials framed the candidacy around […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked the Russian government for more information about the death of an employee at a Siberian plague research unit, including details about the laboratory tests conducted on her, the WHO Director-General told a media briefing on Thursday. The WHO has also asked Russia for more details about the public […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever guidelines to address how clinicians should manage obesity in children and adolescents, which include conditional recommendations for obesity medications and even surgery for children over the age of 10. Since 1990, the number of children ages 5-9 years and adolescents 10-19 years living with obesity has quadrupled, […] Continue reading ->
China has nominated a prominent Chinese health official for WHO Director General in the 2027 elections, multiple diplomatic sources have confirmed to Health Policy Watch. But there are mixed reports about who that candidate actually may be. Some high-level sources have cited Song Li, a senior Chinese Communist Party official who mounted a failed bid […] Continue reading ->
Nearly three in four maternal healthcare workers say extreme heat-related complications among pregnant women have increased over the past five years, according to a five-country survey released as climate ministers gathered in Fiji for the last major meeting before COP31. The poll of 1,001 obstetricians, midwives, nurses and other maternity staff in Australia, Brazil, India, […] Continue reading ->