On 15 March 2027, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that seven candidates have been nominated by member states to become its next director‑general. The nominees, listed by the United Nations health agency, come from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Spain, Indonesia, China, and Armenia, and are slated to go through a series of public forums and executive board interviews before the final appointment at the World Health Assembly in May 2027.
The nominated individuals are Hanan Mohammed Al‑Kuwari of Qatar, a former health minister who now advises the prime minister on public health; Hanan Balkhy of Saudi Arabia, who serves as WHO Eastern Mediterranean regional director; Hans Henri P. Kluge of Belgium, the WHO Europe regional director; Maria P. Neira of Spain, former director of WHO’s environment and health department; Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the Indonesian health minister; Li Song of China, secretary of the All‑China Women’s Federation and former senior health official; and Gevorg Tamamyan of Armenia, a pediatric oncologist and professor at Yerevan State Medical University who was nominated by Botswana.
Selection Process
All seven candidates will participate in a public forum at WHO headquarters in Geneva on 18–19 November 2026, enabling member states to interact directly with each nominee. According to the agency, the forum will give an opportunity for the representatives of the 194 member states to ask questions and to gauge the candidates’ vision for global health.
Following the initial forum, the WHO Executive Board is scheduled to narrow the field to five candidates in early 2027. The board will then conduct interviews and nominate up to three candidates for consideration by the World Health Assembly. A second public forum is planned for 15 March 2027 for those shortlisted, ensuring transparency and stakeholder engagement throughout the process.
The World Health Assembly, the WHO’s policy‑making body, will convene in May 2027 to appoint the next director‑general. The assembly has decided to reserve the appointment for this session, and the successful nominee is expected to assume office on 16 August 2027, following the agency’s annual schedule.
While the selection process is described as rigorous, all participants come from varied backgrounds in health governance and policy, ranging from national ministries to regional WHO offices. Each nominee’s experience reflects a breadth of expertise deemed valuable for the agency’s leadership, especially as global health faces evolving challenges such as pandemics, climate change, and health system strengthening.
With a growing number of global health priorities and an increasingly complex health environment, the appointment of the next WHO director‑general remains a critical decision that will shape the organization’s agenda for the coming years. The transparent, multistage selection mechanism reflects the agency’s commitment to openness and accountability as it seeks a leader equipped to navigate an interconnected world of health threats and opportunities.
