Director-General of the World Health Organization
| Director-General of the World Health Organization | |
|---|---|
| Style | Mr. Director-General |
| Type | Doctor |
| Status | Chief administrative officer |
| Reports to | World Health Assembly |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable |
| Deputy | Deputy Director-General |
The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) is the chief executive officer of WHO and the principal advisor to the United Nations on matters pertaining global health. The director general is elected by and answers to the World Health Assembly (WHA).[1] The current director-general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was appointed on 1 July 2017.[2] The Director-General also leads the and is also the ex-officio Secretary of the World Health Assembly, the WHO Executive Board, and of all commissions and committees, and conferences convened by the organization.[3]
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.[4]
The term of the director-general lasts for five years. Office holders can be and have been appointed for multiple subsequent terms, such as Marcolino Gomes Candau who served for four consecutive terms. The director-general is typically appointed in May, when the WHA meets.
List of Directors-General of the WHO[5][]
| No. | Image | Name and nationality | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
 Brock Chisholm |
1948–1953 |
| 2 |  |
 Marcolino Gomes Candau |
1953–1973 |
| 3 |  |
 Halfdan T. Mahler |
1973–1988 |
| 4 |  Hiroshi Nakajima |
1988–1998 | |
| 5 |  |
 Gro Harlem Brundtland |
1998–2004 |
| 6 |  |
 Lee Jong-wook |
2004–2006 |
| – |  |
 Anders Nordström* |
2006–2007 |
| 7 |  |
 Margaret Chan |
2007–2017 |
| 8 |  |
 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus |
2017–Incumbent |
| *Appointed acting Director-General following the death of Lee Jong-wook while in office | |||
References[]
- ^ "WHO Governance". WHO.
- ^ "World Health Assembly elects Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as new WHO Director-General". WHO.
- ^ https://www.who.int/governance/eb/who_constitution_en.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ "World Health Organization Director-General selection: frequently asked questions". WHO. Archived from the original on November 19, 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Former Directors-General". who.int. WHO. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
 | ||
1 Died in office in 2006. 2 Acting Director-General. | ||
- World Health Organization
- Public health