A whole new team of leadership team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has been announced, in particular a radically reduced number of leaders and a large-time shaking of long-standing faces, notably Dr. Mike Ryan, Deputy Managing Director and Emergency Director, and Dr. Bruce Aylward, who helped the Director General to lead the organization by the COVVI-19 process.
In place of Ryan, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, a Nigerian-German-German who is currently responsible for intelligence and health surveillance of health in a Pandemic Center in Who in Berlin, will take over at the head of all emergency health operations at the head office, the biggest organization of organization, Health policy watch learned from an internal email sent by DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to staff Wednesday morning.
An official announcement which followed shortly after during Tedros remarks During the budget opening meeting and the program administration committee (PBAC), a Member State Group meeting before the World Health Assembly next week.
Dr. Jeremy Farrar, a British scientist and former head of Wellcomome Trust respected, will assume the second biggest appointment as Deputy Managing Director (ADG) of the promotion of health, prevention and control of diseases – one of the main pillars of the new organization – which goes consolidate the 10 existing divisions in four.
Farrar will be replaced as chief scientist by Dr. Sylvie Briand, former director of WHO, Department of Preparation and Prevention of Epidemia and Pandemic and the current director of the Global Pandemic Preparation and Surveillance Council, An independent organization has designed by WHO and the World Bank to prepare for global health crises.
Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, Japanese National, will remain in the team as head of the third new program division, ADG of HEALTH Systems.
Raul Thomas, from Trinidad and Tobago, will remain as a US of commercial operations with Razia Pendse, an Indian national, as the “chief of the cabinet”.
In his announcement to the staff, Tedros said that appointments would take effect on June 16. Speaking shortly after the PBAC, he added: “The new team was chosen after a very attentive examination and to ensure the balance between the sexes and geographic representation.
“I am convinced that this new team, as part of the restructured organization, is better placed to guide now who faced the challenges of years to come.”
Early reactions to a new team
Very initial reactions of staff within the organization and foreigners seemed to be positive.
“It was a difficult decision for the DG because it had to ensure, sex, geographic equity, and that the priorities of donors were also respected,” said a person who initiated, “but overall, this seems to be a good balance”, noting that most of the new nominees have a solid professional reputation.
Balayage of the former leadership has long associated with Tedros’ mandate can help improve the image of the organization and help press “reset” for other modifications, added the source.
In particular, there is neither Chinese nor American in the new management team – perhaps reflecting an attempt to bypass the heavy geopolitical tensions which tormented the organization from Covid.
With Ryan, Aylward, ADG for universal health coverage, which served who for 30 years, including Leadership of its global polio eradication initiative And the WHO emergency program has also disappeared. Aylward, a Canadian doctor, also directed part of the early response to the cocovated pandemic. Although wrongly or wrongly, Aylward, like Tedros and other senior leaders, was also criticized later to be too deferential in China, or even to rent Outdoor China Treatment When it started – while the crisis has swept the world, paralyzing travel and closing savings.
Farrar, on the other hand, has become an even more senior figure in the agency’s upheaval and someone to watch for the future.
Briand, a French national, as research manager, offers WHO the possibility of strengthening its organizational ties with European research institutions at a time when the United States reduces the financing of scientific research and innovation in the country and abroad.
“In this context, it is historic to see a French national becoming responsible for research,” said a scientist.
The new team is now confronted with the big challenge to reduce the number of WHO directors at the headquarters of more than half, in accordance with a plan to considerably reduce the WHO budget in the face of the loss of funds due to the American withdrawal, which is the largest donor, of the agency, announced by New American president Donald Trump in January.
Faced with a deficit of $ 600 million in 2025 and a Funding gap of $ 1.7 billion for the Biennum 2026-20According to the latest estimates, the WHO reorganization would reduce the number of departments to the headquarters of almost half – 76 directors of the department in January 2025 about 34 departments and directors, according to the New organogram.
The number of directors at the headquarters would be reduced by more than half, from 76 to 34, according to Tedros, speaking to pbac.
“The decisions concerning the directors will direct the departments taken following the World Health Assembly. This, I know, will also be difficult, given the reduction in the workforce from 76 to 34 departments,” Tedros said in his message to the members of the PBAC.
“I note that our concentration on the strengthening of our offices in country is unchanged, although we plan to close certain offices in high income countries which no longer need support in the country.”
Program relocation options outside the Geneva headquarters
At the meeting of the PBAC on closed doors, Tedros also provided the Member States an initial examination of possibilities to move certain departments and teams which are now based in Geneva to other existing WHO or UN platforms in more affordable places – in Europe as well as in Africa, Health policy watch learned.
These “illustrative” options include: the relocation of certain health labor teams in Lyon, two hours from Geneva in neighboring France; move more emergency functions in terms of health in Berlin, where a co-Soutian pandemic surveillance office by the German government; Reinstallation of computer support to an existing UN center in Valence; And finally, the relocation of critical infectious disease programs in South Africa, Nairobi or Addis Ababa. This could bring these “world regions with the heaviest disease of the most heavy illness” to the world of other UN and African research centers.
Such relocations could help to alleviate some of the headquarters of the head office, were up to 30 to 40% of the 2,600 classification employees who would have been faced with layoffs, depending on the budget deficit existing there, the largest of the organization.
“We plan that the most important reductions in staff will be at the head office, while regional offices will also be assigned to various degrees,” Tedros told PBAC, although it has so far provided any exact projection as to the number of more detailed “priority” exercises, affirming that this would clearly become only once a more detailed organizational “priority” “. Tedros, however, added that who has already introduced “a range of support mechanisms, and we are committed to supporting mental health and well-being of all our colleagues”.
“Now they have to reduce 50% of directors, so work is just beginning,” said an observer. “” In any case, this is a transitional team because the Director General will end his mandate in two years. “”
The dismissal follows years of expansion during the cocovated pandemic, and post-comfortable epidemics and humanitarian crises, when the number of the most senior directors has almost doubled, as well as the ranks of consultants. See the related story:
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/exclusive-mbumber-of-who-senior-directors-nearly-doubled-since-2017-costs-approach-100-illion/
Image credits: WHO ,, WHO,, Fletcher / HPW ,, Who, 2025,, WHO .
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