[Ip-health] WHO statement: New Director-General of the World Health Organization to be chosen in November, 2006

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr29/en/print.html



New Director-General of the World Health Organization to be chosen in
November, 2006


30 MAY 2006 | GENEVA -- Today, the World Health Organization's Executive
Board has decided on a November timetable for electing a new
Director-General for the Organization. The decision follows the sudden
death of Dr LEE Jong-wook, WHO Director-General, last Monday, 22 May.

Specifically, the Board has decided by resolution that the Board would
nominate a new Director-General in a meeting from 6-8 November. This
meeting would be followed by a one-day special session of the World
Health Assembly on 9 November, which would vote to appoint the new
Director-General.

The Acting Director-General will notify Member States that they may
propose candidates from 1 June, 2006. Proposals would be accepted by the
WHO Secretariat until 5 September, 2006, and the Secretariat would
dispatch these to Member States by 5 October, 2006.

In a special session last Tuesday, 23 May, the Executive Board agreed
that it wanted an "accelerated process" for electing a Director-General.
The resolution today means that the Board has agreed to waive a rule
which would normally allow for a six-month nomination process.

The Executive Board will now meet to decide on a short-list of five
candidates, and to interview them from 6-8 November. Through a voting
process it will nominate a candidate to propose to the World Health
Assembly. The Assembly will then consider the Board's nomination on 9
November and appoint a Director-General. It would also decide when a
contract for the new Director-General would take effect.

Dr Anders Nordstr=C3=B6m will continue as the Acting Director-General of WH=
O
until a new Director-General takes office.

The WHO Executive Board is comprised of 34 Members who are technically
qualified in the field of health. The main functions of the Board are to
give effect to the decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly,
to advise it and generally to facilitate its work.

The countries represented on the current Executive Board are:
Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil,
China, Denmark, Djibouti, El Salvador, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya,
Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg,
Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Singapore,
Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Thailand, Turkey and the United States of
America.

*For further information please contact*

Christine McNab
Communications Officer
WHO, Geneva
=D0=A2=D0=B5l.: +41 22 791 4688
Mobile: +41 254 6815
Email:mcnabc@who.int <mailto:mcnabc@who.int>

Iain Simpson
Communications Officer
WHO, Geneva
=D0=A2=D0=B5l.: +41 22 791 3215
Mobile: +41 475 5534
Email:simpsoni@who.int <mailto:simpsoni@who.int>