Botswana nominates Armenian for top WHO post

Botswana has entered the race for the leadership of the World Health Organisation, nominating Armenian paediatric oncologist Dr Gevorg Tamamyan to succeed DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose second term ends in August 2027. The Mail & Guardian reports that Tamamyan, a professor at Yerevan State Medical University and the editor-in-chief of the oncology news platform OncoDaily, is seeking to lead the world’s foremost public health agency at a time of growing debate over global health governance. His nomination by Botswana, rather than his native Armenia, has drawn attention to his international campaign strategy and his ambition to build a coalition of support extending beyond national and regional boundaries. ‘From day zero, my conviction was very clear and I said it publicly that I wanted to build a true cross-regional nomination. If I could present my vision and earn the trust of countries across different regions, I would run. Otherwise, I would not. That was my conviction and that is what I worked toward,’ Tamamyan said. His nomination by Botswana, he said, reflected a deliberate effort to build support across regions because nationality should not determine who leads global health institutions.