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 ->
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 ->
I sought to lead the World Health Organization (WHO) because the rules of intelligence are becoming the rules of health. My name will not be on the ballot. The responsibility remains. I will now work to organise the political and economic power needed to put intelligence at the service of humanity – and to keep […] 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 ->
Global health has moved from an area of mutual cooperation to one dominated by “high politics” and division, observed Ilona Kickbusch at the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) last Friday (2 October). Leading the closing panel, the founder of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, highlighted how recent voting at the […] Continue reading ->
The shortlist of five finalists to serve as the next Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was published on Wednesday (30 September), launching the final phase of its leadership search. By narrowing the global applicant field to five candidates, the Global Fund’s Executive Director Nomination Committee (EDNC) has taken […] Continue reading ->
At the opening of the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO)’s annual meeting on Monday, officials celebrated progress made in tackling regional health challenges – despite political and economic challenges. However, the US warned PAHO’s 63rd Directing Council not to stray into “ideological” issues, as it continues to withhold millions in unpaid members’ dues. The opening […] Continue reading ->
Several significant pledges for global health – covering reproductive health, ‘transition’ and Ebola – were made on the fringes of last week’s United Nations General Assembly amid massive donor withdrawal from the sector. Reproductive health, which has suffered massive funding losses, got a $337.8 million boost from the United Kingdom, which announced its pledge at […] Continue reading ->