Kluge enters race for WHO director-general

Dr Hans Henri Kluge, the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Europe, has formally entered the race to become the next WHO Director-General. The Belgian physician becomes the third candidate to declare, following a nomination by his home country. According to an internal email from WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, seen by Health Policy Watch, Kluge will begin a leave of absence from his duties on Friday, 21 August 2026.

Kluge is the second Regional Director to temporarily step aside under new internal guidelines issued by Tedros in July. The rules, which apply to all WHO Regional Directors, require them to take special leave at half pay if they enter the leadership campaign. This applies even though Regional Directors are elected by member states, not appointed by the WHO secretariat. Tedros framed the policy as a way to level the playing field with other internal candidates who were already subject to similar leave requirements in previous races.

“Dear colleagues, I am writing to inform you that Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe, will take leave from his WHO functions effective 21 August 2026, in connection with his candidature for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization,” the DG said in the internal mail sent just before 6 p.m. Thursday evening.

Kluge confirmed his nomination the following day in a LinkedIn post. “The Government of Belgium has nominated me for the position of WHO Director-General. I am deeply honoured by the trust and confidence Belgium has placed in me, and grateful for the opportunity to stand for this important responsibility,” the post read.

Interim leadership for Europe

To keep the European Region running during Kluge’s absence, Dr Corinne Capuano will serve as Officer-in-Charge on an interim basis. Capuano has been the Director of Programme Management in Europe since February 2025. Tedros expressed confidence in the handover, saying he was “grateful to Dr Capuano for assuming these responsibilities and confident that, with the support of colleagues across the Region and the Organisation, WHO’s vital work will continue without interruption.”

Kluge has led the European Region since February 2020. His tenure spans the COVID-19 pandemic, a subsequent mpox outbreak, and the ongoing health fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has strained medical systems both inside Ukraine and in neighboring countries receiving refugees.

This is not the first time a sitting Regional Director has made a play for the top job, but the new leave policy adds an unusual twist. It effectively forces candidates to choose between campaigning and their current posts, which could discourage some from running. Whether that was the intent or merely a side effect, it changes the calculus for anyone weighing a bid.

Who else is in the race

Kluge joins two other confirmed candidates listed on the WHO website: Dr Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, nominated by Qatar, and Dr Hanan Balkhy, nominated by Saudi Arabia. Balkhy, like Kluge, has stepped down from her Regional Director role under the new guidelines.

The field is expected to grow before the official nomination deadline on 24 September. Indonesia’s Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, is considered likely to enter. Other names that have circulated include Sania Nishtar, currently CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Helge Braun, a German physician and politician associated with the Christian Democratic Party. Former French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn has also been mentioned as a possible contender.

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Some high-profile figures have already ruled themselves out. Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Regional Director of the Pan American Health Organisation, said he wants to focus on leading the Americas region, which faces financial uncertainty after reductions in funding from the United States, PAHO’s largest donor. British scientist Dr Jeremy Farrar also said he has “no intention” of standing, even though his resignation as Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care was abruptly confirmed by WHO this week, effective September. WHO claimed Farrar is retiring, but several sources said he resigned, suggesting possible dissatisfaction with Tedros’ administration. Farrar has not publicly commented on his next moves.

With the formal nomination deadline still weeks away, the campaign calendar is already set. The first candidates’ forum begins on 18 November 2026. The Executive Board will narrow the field to a maximum of three finalists during its 160th session, held from 25 January to 2 February 2027. Member states will make the final choice in May 2027 at the 80th World Health Assembly. The successor takes office on 16 August 2027, immediately after Tedros’ term ends.