The Next WHO Director-General: A Test for Gender Equality in Global Health Leadership

The election of the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is shaping up to be one of the most consequential leadership contests in global health in recent decades.

This insight examines the evolving political landscape surrounding the race, the leadership profile that Member States are likely to seek, and the opportunity this moment presents to advance more representative and gender-balanced leadership at the highest level of the multilateral health system.