WHO to elect new Director-General

Geneva: The World Health Organisation (WHO) will choose its new Director-General during a special session of the World Health Assembly on November 9.

The decision follows after the sudden death of Dr Lee Jong-wook, WHO Director-General on May 22.

The 34-member of the WHO Executive Board on Tuesday decided by resolution that the Board will nominate a new Director-General in a meeting from November 6-8.

Dr Anders Nordström, who will continue as the Acting Director-General of WHO till new a Director-General takes office.

He will notify the Member States that they may propose candidates from June 1.

The WHO Secretariat till September 5, will accept the proposals, The Secretariat will then dispatch them to Member States by October 5.

The Board will now meet to decide on a short-list of five candidates, and to interview them from November 6-8.

It will nominate a candidate to propose to the World Health Assembly through a voting process.

The Assembly will then consider the Board's nomination on November 9 and appoint a Director-General.

It will also decide when a contract for the new Director-General will take effect.

On May 23, the Executive Board agreed that it wanted an "accelerated process" for electing a Director-General.

The WHO Executive Board members are technically qualified in the field of health.

Their main aim is to give effect to the decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly and 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 and Liberia.

Others include, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Thailand, Turkey and the United States of America.