The World Health Organization said on Thursday that member states have proposed seven candidates for the post of director-general, Reuters reported, formally setting out the field that will compete to lead the UN health agency from 2027.

Source: Reuters

The seven candidates, as listed on the WHO's official election page, are Dr Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, proposed by Qatar; Dr Hanan Balkhy, proposed by Saudi Arabia; Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, proposed by Belgium; Dr María P. Neira, proposed by Spain; Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin, proposed by Indonesia; Dr Song Li, proposed by China; and Dr Gevorg Tamamyan, proposed by Botswana.

Source: WHO

The field mixes serving WHO regional leaders, national health ministers and specialists. Dr Balkhy runs the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office and Dr Kluge runs its European office, Dr Neira has led the WHO's work on environment, climate change and health, and Mr Sadikin is Indonesia's health minister, according to Health Policy Watch's election tracker. Dr Al-Kuwari is a former Qatari health minister, Dr Song Li has led women's and children's health work at China's National Health Commission, and Dr Tamamyan is an Armenian paediatric oncologist.

Source: Health Policy Watch

The World Health Assembly will appoint the new director-general at its 80th session in May 2027, the WHO said, and the successful candidate is expected to take office on August 16, 2027. The winner will succeed Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose second term ends the day before, on August 15, 2027.

What happens next is a months-long campaign in which each candidate must set out how the WHO would be financed and run, before member states vote at the Assembly in May. The new chief will inherit an agency dealing with major disease outbreaks, strained budgets and competing demands from member governments.