Huffington Post: The Global Health Community Looks for its Next Leader
John E. Lange, senior fellow for global health diplomacy at the U.N. Foundation

“…[The WHO executive board] selected three nominees — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia, David Nabarro of the United Kingdom, and Sania Nishtar of Pakistan — to be considered by all Member States [for the position of WHO director general] on May 23 at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. … [T]he World Health Assembly will reach a decision by secret ballot requiring, in rather complicated rules of procedure, that the director general be elected ‘by a clear and strong majority of Members present and voting.’ … And then the global health community will have its next leader. The new leader will inherit an organization implementing major reforms … that will greatly improve WHO’s ability to respond to international health emergencies and to enhance global health security. One of the new director general’s prime tasks will be to generate the financial support needed for the full panoply of WHO’s activities, which range from eradicating infectious diseases such as polio to setting norms and standards to combating non-communicable diseases to achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and targets. This will be a daunting task, but critical in enabling the World Health Organization to achieve its goal of building a better, healthier future for people all over the world” (3/16)