On May 23, 2017, the Member States of the World Health Organization elected Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new WHO Director-General.
Dr. Tedros (who campaigned under his first name) was nominated by the government of Ethiopia, where he has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Health. He has also acted as the chair of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board, and as co-chair of the board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Dr. Tedros, a malaria expert, is set to succeed Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General since 2007, and is the first African to head the agency. He has promised to place strong emphasis on universal health care and to focus resources on the most vulnerable.
The World Health Organization issued a formal announcement about the election results, which is accompanied by Dr. Tedros’ short bio and CV, along with a fact sheet detailing the election process. In addition, The Lancet has been tracking commentary and editorials related to the recent election in an effort to inform the debate and promote the best choice.