WHO’s Europe chief steps down to run for the top job

EU PERSPECTIVES - A mother who survives childbirth. A child who reaches their fifth birthday. This is what Dr Hans Kluge says his campaign for the world's top health job comes down to. The doctor who once treated tuberculosis in Siberian prisons is now Belgium's WHO candidate, backed by Prime Minister Bart De Wever as "someone who has done the work". Read more

Dr Kluge pictured in Geneva in May 2026 — three months before he stepped aside to launch his campaign for the WHO's top job. / Photo: WHO/Antoine Tardy