Viet Nam runs for next WHO Regional Director of the Western Pacific

Earlier, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan sent the proposal letter to WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

This is the first time that Viet Nam has had a candidate for this important position of the WHO. 

The nomination will then be submitted for appointment by the 154th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place from January 22 to 27, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The newly appointed Regional Director will take office on February 1, 2024 for a five-year term and be eligible for reappointment once.

Tran is currently the Director of the Division of Programs for Disease Control, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila, the Philippines. 

She was former Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, under the Ministry of Health. 

Working with 194 Member States across six regions, WHO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for public health. The WHO Western Pacific Region is home to more than 1.9 billion people.

The Regional Committee for the Western Pacific is composed of ministers of health and senior officials from the countries and areas of the Region. They meet annually to agree on health actions and chart priorities for the work of WHO. 

Every fifth year, the Region's Member States vote to nominate the Regional Director—the most senior representative of the Organization in each of the six WHO regions./.