Saudi Arabia Nominates Dr Hanan Balkhy for WHO Director-General
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Riyadh – September 15, 2026 -- Dr Hanan H. Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has launched her candidacy for WHO Director-General after being nominated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pledging to build "a WHO the world can count on."
Saudi Arabia backs a 30-year public health veteran for WHO's top post
Dr Balkhy, trained in Saudi Arabia and the United States, has spent more than three decades in clinical medicine, academic research and international public health leadership. She currently oversees WHO operations across 22 Member States and more than 750 million people as Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and previously served as WHO's first Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance and as a member of the Organization's Global Policy Group.