There is a temptation amongst many observers, commentators and non-government organisations to focus on the annual apex point of the global health calendar: the World Health Assembly.
Given, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) is due to elect a new director-general this year, the 140th Executive Board held in Geneva between 23 January-1 February 2017 was inevitably going to be a highly charged political affair. It did not disappoint.
One of the primary functions of the Board this year was to narrow the field of an unprecedented six candidates for the top job to just three, to be presented to the 69th World Health Assembly in May. As a result, for the first few days of the meeting all other business before the 34 members of the Executive Board was relegated to second place as the candidates were successively interviewed – in secret – behind closed doors.
This year’s election is extraordinary not only for the number of candidates seeking the chief role but also for the extended process of consultation and review that WHO is following to elect its new leader. That candidates were subjected to multiple interviews – both prior to the Executive Board and then again during the meeting – arguably reflects the reality that health concerns now exist as a central foreign policy concern. Add to this that the intergovernmental organisation has been heavily criticised in recent years for not performing as expected and is in need of reform, and it can be appreciated why such intensive scrutiny was applied to the hopefuls.
Indeed, as all six candidates were acutely aware, member states are keen to ensure the next leader will do better across a variety of portfolios. These notably extend not only from managing public health emergencies such as the Ebola and Zika outbreaks, but also in advancing multiple causes such as universal health coverage, access to medicines, non-communicable diseases, research and development for new life-saving treatments, increased health equity, and ensuring that improved health outcomes are not lost in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – all topics that featured prominently during the 140th Executive Board.
By the midpoint of the meeting, three of the six candidates had been short-listed by the Executive Board to be presented to the 70th World Health Assembly in May. They were: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Ethiopia), Sania Nishtar (Pakistan), and David Nabarro (United Kingdom). The three candidates whose campaigns were not successful – Philippe Douste-Blazy (France), Miklós Szócska (Hungary), and Flavia Bustreo (Italy) – thanked their supporters and gracefully exited the race. For the shortlisted candidates, their campaigns are now expected to step up the pace as they seek to convince the world’s governments that their vision for the WHO offers the best prospect of making the organisation more agile and responsive to their needs.
Given the challenges for the organisation that lay ahead in implementing significant governance reforms, persuading member states to increase their annual dues, and dealing with the multiple health emergencies – including the Syrian refugee crisis – the successful candidate to be elected director-general in May will have to be capable of navigating the political environment and fulfil WHO’s mission. It will not be an easy nor enviable task.
Written by Adam Kamradt-Scott, Associate Professor, University of Sydnes
Photo: WHO/N. Bojgaard