Vietnamese doctor applies for WHO Western Pacific Regional Director position

The selection process for the position of WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific was held on the morning of September 15th. Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong was one of five candidates who presented and answered questions from representatives of various countries regarding the vision and capabilities of WHO in carrying out its tasks.

Election transparency

"To enhance transparency surrounding the election of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific , an online forum for candidates will be held from 9:00 to 15:00 Manila time (8:00 to 14:00 Hanoi time) on Friday, September 15," WHO in Vietnam announced to domestic media outlets.

According to the WHO, the forum was requested by the current Chair of the WHO's Western Pacific Regional Committee, Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health of Laos, with the consent of the member states in the region. The forum will be chaired by Dr. Bounfeng.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong is the first Vietnamese doctor to run for the position of Director of the WHO Western Pacific Region.

FBNV

There are five candidates expected to participate directly in the forum, nominated by China, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vietnam.

Each candidate will give a presentation outlining their experience and expertise, as well as their vision of what they hope to achieve as a regional director in implementing WHO's core mission in the Western Pacific.

Candidates also answered questions from participating member states online. This provided an additional opportunity for member states to get acquainted with and assess the suitability of each candidate for the regional director position.

The forum will be streamed live on the WHO Western Pacific website and social media accounts in Chinese, English, and French. The public can watch the forum on these platforms.

Voting after the selection process

The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for public health, with 194 member states across 6 regions. The WHO Western Pacific region is home to more than 1.9 billion people.

Following the forum, at the next meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Committee, held from October 16-20 in Manila, member states will vote to nominate a new regional director. The nomination will then be submitted to the next meeting of the WHO Executive Board, taking place from January 22-27, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. The newly appointed Western Pacific Regional Director will assume office on February 1, 2024.

The 30 member countries of the Western Pacific region will vote in the upcoming regional director election.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong is the first Vietnamese doctor to run for the position of Director of the WHO Western Pacific Region. Dr. Huong was formerly the Director of the International Cooperation Department (Ministry of Health), and since 2019, she has been the Director of Disease Control Programs at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office. She is also the first Vietnamese person to hold this position.

Recently, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan sent a letter to the WHO Director-General nominating Ms. Huong for the position of WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

Thanhnien.vn