Election of the WHO Director-General

The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer.

The current Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was nominated by the Executive Board at its 150th session in January 2022 and subsequently appointed following consideration by the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly in May of that year. Dr Tedros began his second term on 16 August 2022. This term will conclude on 15 August 2027.

A Director-General can only be re-appointed once.

The current election process began in April 2026 when the Director-General invited Member States to submit candidatures for the post of Director-General. The deadline for submitting proposals is 24 September 2026. The Executive Board at its 160th session in 2027 will nominate up to three candidates for consideration by the World Health Assembly. The appointment of the next Director-General will take place at the Eightieth World Health Assembly, due to take place in May 2027.