⏱ 1 min read
Background
The World Health Organization (WHO), based in Geneva, will appoint a new director-general. Swissinfo and the Global Health Centre of the Geneva Graduate Institute are interviewing the candidates. The first episode of this series was published on 31 October 2026.
The key points
Hanan Balkhy currently heads the WHO's regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean. She therefore knows the organisation from the inside. A native of Saudi Arabia, she studied in the United States.
She is particularly concerned about antibiotic resistance, the effects of climate change on health and healthcare in conflict zones. She denounces a “normalisation” of attacks on hospitals and health workers.
She believes the WHO must reform and do more with less money.
Who says what
- Hanan Balkhy (WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean): the director-general's job is a way “to serve the broader humanity”.
Further reading
Sources
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