PHA-Exchange> WHO: Candidates Lining Up To Replace Brundtland Next Year

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WHO: Candidates Lining Up To Replace Brundtland Next Year
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Source - UN Wire:
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=29113

Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director Peter Piot 
of Belgium is one of the leading candidates to head the World Health 
Organization when Director General Gro Harlem Brundtland steps down 
in July, the Belgian daily De Standaard reported Saturday (De Stan-
daard, Sept. 21, UN Wire translation).

Piot joins a growing list of candidates to succeed Brundtland, who 
last month announced her intention not to seek another term. The for-
mer Norwegian prime minister, head of the WHO since 1998, cited her 
age as the main reason for not seeking another five years at the helm 
of the U.N. agency (WHO release, Aug. 23:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/who65/en/print.html ).

Piot, a longtime HIV/AIDS researcher and a co-discoverer of the Ebola 
virus in 1976, formerly served as assistant director of the WHO's 
AIDS program. He has headed UNAIDS since its creation in 1995 (UNAIDS 
Web site).

Medecins sans Frontieres co-founder Bernard Kouchner, a former French 
health minister and U.N. Mission in Kosovo head, said last week that 
he is "very interested" in the top position at the WHO (Agence 
France-Presse, Sept. 15, UN Wire translation).

Mozambican Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi also announced his interest 
last week. The former health minister said he would resign from his 
current post, which he has held since 1994, if the WHO accepted his 
candidacy. The eight-country Community of Portuguese-speaking Coun-
tries announced earlier this month that it is backing Mocumbi (LUSA 
Agencia de Noticias, Sept. 20: 
http://www.lusa.pt/print.asp?id=4128326 ).

The WHO will nominate a candidate for director general in January, at 
the 111th session of its executive board. The election of the new WHO 
head will take place in May, at the 56th World Health Assembly.