Priorities for the Next WHO Director-General

With the World Health Organization (WHO) slated to elect a new Director-General during the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA), what is the potential impact new leadership can bring? And more importantly are those who will be impacted paying attention? As the WHO works to implement some of the reforms agreed to during the WHA in 2016, the question global health stakeholders should be asking is: What should new leadership at the WHO do for the organization?

In discussing the implications of this election, panelists from the U.S. government, academia, the NGO community, and the private sector will focus on its potential impact on the current fault lines in the global health debate. From pandemic preparedness to global health security to WHO’s engagement with non-state actors to battling antimicrobial resistance to diseases, and non-communicable diseases, “who leads the WHO” will impact every one of these issues.