The WHO regional director elections must be reformed

In August the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Regional Committee will elect a new director for its regional office. The election was met with some consternation on social media for the failure of the 47 member states in the region to nominate a woman to enter the contest. This is not the only recent WHO regional election that has been in the news. The WHO regional offices play several critical roles in our increasingly polarised world—but only if they are led by exceptionally talented directors chosen in fair and transparent elections.In May 2023, we were part of a group of public health and governance experts who wrote to the WHO executive board chair Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari and members urging them to reform the electoral processes and harmonise them with the selection process for the organisation’s director-general.1 We noted that they faced a historic opportunity, given the unprecedented situation of…
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