Director-General of the World Health Organization
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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). The current director-general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was appointed on 1 July 2017, and re-appointed on 24 May 2022. 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.
Selection process
Candidates for director-general can be proposed by Member States, then nominated by the executive board and appointed by the World Health Assembly.
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.
The term of the director-general lasts for five years. A director-general can be re-appointed only once. 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
| No. | Image | Nationality | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada Canada | Brock Chisholm | 1948–1953 | |
| 2 | Brazil Brazil | Marcolino Gomes Candau | 1953–1973 | |
| 3 | Denmark Denmark | Halfdan T. Mahler | 1973–1988 | |
| 4 | Japan Japan | Hiroshi Nakajima 中嶋 宏 | 1988–1998 | |
| 5 | Norway Norway | Gro Harlem Brundtland | 21 July 1998 – 28 January 2003 | |
| 6 | 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 | Hong Kong Hong Kong | Margaret Chan 陳馮富珍 | 9 November 2006 – 30 June 2017 | |
| 8 | 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 |