Six international health experts have put their names forward to become the next director of the World Health Organization.
The United Nations health agency released the list of candidates on Friday:
  • Britain's Dr. David Nabarro, who was the United Nations' special envoy for Ebola during the crisis in 2014/15.
  • Ethiopia's foreign minister and former health minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
  • Dr. Sania Nishtar, a former minister in Pakistan's government.
  • French former health minister Prof. Philippe Douste-Blazy.
  • Italy's Dr. Flavia Bustreo, currently an assistant director general at the WHO.
  • Former health minister of Hungary, Dr. Mikló​s Szó​cska.
The Director-General is "WHO's chief technical and administrative officer and oversees WHO's international health work," the Geneva-based organization said in a release. 
Chan was appointed in 2006. Chan came under fire for failing to sound the alarm until months into West Africa's Ebola outbreak was called an "egregious failure," by a specialist panel. 
In January, WHO will draw up a short list of up to five candidates and then up to three will go forward to the World Health Assembly in May 2017. Then WHO's 194 member states will vote for a winner. 
The new Director-General will take office on 1 July 2017.
With files from Reuters