Botswana nominates Gevorg Tamamyan to lead WHO
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Weekend Post
Botswana’s President Duma Boko has nominated doctor Gevorg Tamamyan to lead the World Health Organization from 2027. In his letter to the WHO Executive Board, he called for a more effective institution better able to respond to difficulties in accessing healthcare, reports Weekend Post.
Botswana’s President Duma Boko has nominated Armenian dermatologist Gevorg Tamamyan for the post of director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). In a letter to the chair of the WHO Executive Board, he asked for the candidacy to be considered at the World Health Assembly in May 2027.
Duma Boko justified the choice by citing the challenges facing Botswana’s health system and the need to strengthen the effectiveness of multilateral institutions. He said he had met Gevorg Tamamyan and assured himself of his commitment to populations with the least access to healthcare.
Gevorg Tamamyan is one of the seven candidates announced by the WHO on 29 October. A first candidates’ forum is scheduled for 18 and 19 November in Geneva, before the Executive Board narrows the list to five contenders at the beginning of 2027. Botswana is drawing in particular on the experience of Matshidiso Moeti, the first woman to lead the WHO African region in 2015 and a holder of two terms.
