Candidates to Head the WHO announced

The World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) has announced the names of 13 candidates to head this United Nations' health agency in place of South Korea's Lee Jong-wook, who died suddenly in May 2006, after surgery to remove a brain clot.

Among those standing for the post of Director-General is Dr. Margaret Chan of Hong Kong, who currently heads the agency's campaign to prepare the world for a possible bird flu epidemic. Former French Health Minister Dr. Bernard Kouchner and former Mozambique Prime Minister Dr. Pascoal Manuel Mocumbi were also among those whose names were put forward for the post by their countries.

The WHO's 34-state executive board will meet on November 6, 2006, to recommend a replacement for Lee Jong-wook. A special session of the WHO's top decision-making body, the 192-country World Health Assembly, will be held on November 9, 2006, to vote on the choice of the executive board.

Others proposed for the post and their proposers were as follows: Dr. Kazem Behbehani (proposed by Kuwait), Dr. Julio Frenk (proposed by Mexico), David A Gunnarsson (proposed by Iceland), Dr. Nay Htun (proposed by Myanmar0, Dr. Karam Karam (proposed by Syria), Dr. Shigeru Omi (proposed by Japan), Dr. Alfredo Palacio Gonzalez (proposed by Ecuador), Pekka Puska (proposed by Finland), Elena Salgado Mendez (proposed by Spain), and Dr. Tomris Turmen (proposed by Turkey).



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