WHO has greenlighted Phase 2/3 trials for two brand new vaccine candidates that specifically target the Ebola Bundibugyo virus species ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo. Actual trials could forseeably commence “within three to four weeks” – as soon as DRC regulators issue their own approval, said WHO’s Science Director Meg Doherty, at a Wednesday […] Continue reading ->
Hanan Balkhy, Saudi Arabia’s candidate for WHO Director General, is especially concerned about antibiotic resistance, the effects of climate change on health, and healthcare in conflict zones. She also warns about a “normalisation” of attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in conflict regions. As a longtime WHO insider, she is also well aware that the […] Continue reading ->
France’s Ambassador for Global Health, Dr Anne-Claire Amprou, is joining the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) body negotiating the missing piece of the Pandemic Agreement at a crucial moment. Amprou co-chaired the last stage of Pandemic Agreement talks, which eventually found consensus. However, consensus has eluded WHO member states on the pathogen access […] Continue reading ->
Returning to lead the Global Fund, Mark Dybul argues that the future of global health lies with domestic health systems, not agency mergers in Geneva. Evoking the founding ambition of the early 2000s, the incoming executive director explains how the Accra Reset and US bilateral aid can align under unified national plans – and how […] Continue reading ->
Action is lagging far behind the milestone commitments of the 2024 UN High Level Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). But a Ministerial Meeting scheduled for 6-8 December in Abuja offers an opportunity to pick up the baton. Ahead of that, civil society gropus will convene in mid-November in Rome. Two years after the UN General […] Continue reading ->
Who will steer the World Health Organization through its next chapter? Explore Health Policy Watch’s daily series examining the platforms, records, and institutional hurdles facing each contender for WHO Director-General, continuing today with Gevorg Tamamyan. Access all candidate profiles on our dedicated election site. Dr Gevorg Tamamyan, an Armenian paediatric oncologist and professor at Yerevan […] Continue reading ->
Former Global Fund executive director Mark Dybul returns to the helm in Geneva, facing an unprecedented $5.32 billion funding gap, fraught domestic transitions, and mounting demands to overhaul the global health architecture. While experts welcome his track record, balancing transatlantic rivalries with rising country sovereignty will demand delicate diplomacy and an updated playbook. The board […] Continue reading ->
The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) has rejected the proposal by the United Nations Secretary-General that it is “sunsetted” by the end of this year, opting instead to transform into a smaller “hub”. This emerged after the PCB’s special meeting on Monday, which considered a report by a working group on the body’s future. The […] Continue reading ->
Who will steer the World Health Organization through its next chapter? Explore Health Policy Watch’s daily series examining the platforms, records, and institutional hurdles facing each contender for WHO Director-General, continuing today with Song Li. Access all candidate profiles on our dedicated election site. The formal confirmation of Dr Song Li’s candidacy by the People’s […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly (WHA) will choose WHO’s ninth Director-General next May without having defined the job. Part I of this analysis sought to learn from the experiences of eight previous incumbents. Part II goes back to the WHO constitution, takes stock of the world’s health and that of the organization safeguarding it, before asking […] Continue reading ->