Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took charge as the chairman of the WHO Executive Board on May 22 and asserted that a worldwide crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for strengthening global partnerships to re-energise investment in global public health.

Vardhan’s elevation to the chairmanship of the 34-member World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board comes amid growing calls, including by US President Donald Trump, to investigate how coronavirus originated in China’s Wuhan city and subsequent action by Beijing.

As the new Chair of the WHO Executive Board, Vardhan underlined the need for higher commitments in respect of diseases that have plagued humankind for centuries, collaborations for supplementing each other by pooling in global resources, an aggressive roadmap to curtail deaths from diseases that can be eliminated, a fresh roadmap to address global shortages of medicines and vaccines, and the need for reforms. 

WHO Executive Board

The Executive Board comprises 34 individuals, technically qualified in the field of health, each one designated by a Member State elected to do so by the World Health Assembly. Member States are elected for three-year terms.

The Board meets at least twice a year. The main meeting is normally in January, with a second shorter meeting in May, immediately after the Health Assembly. The main functions of the Executive Board are to give effect to the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, to advise it and generally to facilitate its work.

World Health Assembly

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organisation, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

The 73rd annual World Health Assembly was held virtually on May 18 and 19.

Harsh Vardhan’s election as chairman

Vardhan was elected as the Chair of the Executive Board of World Health Organisation for the year 2020-21 during the 147th session of the board in a meeting that was held virtually. He succeeded Dr. Hiroki Nakatani from Japan.

The proposal to appoint India's nominee to the executive board was signed by the 194-nation World Health Assembly on May 19.

At the 72nd Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia in September 2019, Member States had nominated India to be member of the WHO Executive Board from the region to replace Sri Lanka whose term expired in May 2020 and also to lead 147th and 148th Sessions of the Executive Board as Chairperson.

The other countries from the WHO South-East Asia region in the Executive Board are Bangladesh (2019-2022) and Indonesia (2018-2021).

At the Executive Board meeting in May 2021, he will hand over to the next Chair from another WHO region. However, he will continue to be a member of the Executive Board till 2023.

Vardhan has also been a member of several prestigious WHO committees like Strategic Advisory Group of Experts and the Global Technical Consultative Group on Polio Eradication. He has also served as an adviser to WHO.

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