Dr Hanan H. Balkhy Launches Candidacy for WHO Director-General, Pledges "A WHO the World Can Count On"

• Nominated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• A physician trained in Saudi Arabia and the United States, with more than 30 years of experience spanning clinical medicine, academic research and international public health leadership
• WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean sets out a three-part platform for a more trusted, prepared and accountable World Health Organization
• Record of delivery includes mobilising more than US$1.6 billion in additional programme resources for polio and emergencies

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Hanan H. Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, announced her candidacy for Director-General of the World Health Organization, having been nominated for the role by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pledging to build "a WHO the world can count on."

 "The world needs a WHO it can count on, that means decisions grounded in science and transparency; an Organization that is prepared before crises strike and decisive when they do; and a WHO that turns universal health coverage from a global commitment into something people experience in their everyday lives."

"I have spent my career confronting health threats, strengthening health systems and leading through crises. I have worked and led across WHO at every level - country, regional and global - and I understand both what Member States need from the Organization and what it takes to deliver for them. I also know the difference strong institutions can make when they are trusted, prepared and focused on delivery.''

"My candidacy is a commitment to the transformational change WHO now needs: earning Trust through science and stewardship, delivering Impact through preparedness and country-led action, and demonstrating Value through measurable results. Above all, it means keeping people at the centre of global health." 

A physician with more than three decades of experience spanning clinical medicine, academic research and international public health leadership, Dr Hanan H. Balkhy has built her career from the bedside to the highest offices of global health.

She currently leads WHO's operations across 22 Member States and more than 750 million people as Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, having previously served as WHO's first-ever Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance and as a member of the Organization's Global Policy Group.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Health, H.E. Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel, said: "Dr Balkhy is one of the world's foremost public health experts. She has dedicated her career to advancing global health, and she brings the fresh thinking, proven leadership, and record of results that this moment demands''

Her candidacy comes at a pivotal moment for WHO, as the Organization moves from negotiation to implementation of the Pandemic Agreement, works to strengthen its financing base, and responds to growing calls from Member States for greater country ownership of health priorities.

Dr Balkhy has begun a programme of international visits, meeting government officials, health leaders and frontline practitioners around the world. Most recently she attended the WHO Regional Committee Meeting for Africa in Ethiopia and the one for the Southeast Asia in Timor Leste. She will be at the UNGA and in Washington D.C. later this month for national and multilateral engagements.

Dr Hanan H. Balkhy has built her career from the bedside to the highest levels of global health leadership, working across diverse health systems and political contexts. Trained in Saudi Arabia and the United States, with leadership experience spanning Saudi Arabia, the Eastern Mediterranean Region and WHO headquarters in Geneva, she brings a rare breadth of clinical, scientific and institutional experience to the role. Throughout her career, she has bridged science and policy, linking crisis response with long-term health-system strengthening and a focus on measurable results.

Long before COVID-19, she was working on the frontlines of MERS-CoV, helping to build Saudi Arabia's national infection prevention programme, strengthen its research capacity and lead the country's first Phase I clinical vaccine trial.

Dr Balkhy's platform is built on three priorities:

1.  Built on TRUST - A WHO the world can count on - Restoring scientific authority, strengthening accountability and protecting WHO's independence.

2.  Driven by IMPACT - A WHO that is there when it matters - Strengthening preparedness, responding faster to health emergencies and supporting countries when crises strike.

3.  Measured by VALUE - A WHO that delivers measurable results - Advancing universal health coverage, strengthening country capacity and demonstrating the value of every resource entrusted to it.

Dr Balkhy said she was deeply grateful to the Kingdom, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the nomination, which reflects their leadership in, and commitment to, global health for all.

For more info: https://hananbalkhy.info/

SOURCE Saudi Ministry of Health