GENEVA: Saudi Arabia was elected vice chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board for the 2025–2028 term during the board’s first meeting of its 57th session, held in Geneva. The session followed the conclusion of the 78th World Health Assembly.
The Saudi delegation was led by Rakan Khalid Bin Dohaish, Undersecretary for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health, representing Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The WHO Executive Board, comprising 34 members from various member states, is tasked with implementing the resolutions and recommendations of the World Health Assembly. It also oversees global and regional health priorities, programs, and policy initiatives.
Australia, represented by Blair Comley, Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, was elected chair of the board. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the other vice chairs elected were Norway, Togo, and Thailand.
In a statement reported by SPA, the Saudi delegation said the Kingdom’s election reflects "growing international confidence in the Kingdom’s leadership and its significant role in advancing global public health."
Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has contributed more than $385 million to WHO-led global health initiatives and emergency response operations in regions such as the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, according to the WHO.
