Dr David Nabarro wrapped up his brief visit to Dhaka on Sunday as part of his worldwide campaign. During his time there, he met with health minister Mohammed Nasim, senior government officials, and a group of journalists, including bdnews24.com, at the British High Commission in Dhaka. The election for the WHO’s eighth director-general will be held in May during the annual general meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, where 194 member states will convene. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, former Ethiopian foreign minister and health minister, and Dr Sania Nishtar, former health minister of Pakistan, are the other two finalists in the race to replace Dr Margaret Chan, whose second term ends on June 30. The candidates are addressing global issues such as recent outbreaks like the Ebola virus, health challenges from climate change, an aging population, non-communicable diseases, and the scarcity of new drugs. The WHO faced strong criticism for its handling of the Ebola virus outbreak, with experts questioning the organization's effectiveness during that time. The outbreak in West Africa in 2014 resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 individuals. Dr. Navarro, who has been serving as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ebola since September 2014, has been guiding the international response strategically and policy-wise. When asked why Bangladesh should vote for him, the British doctor highlighted his past experiences and expressed confidence in his ability to steer the WHO in the right direction. Due to his time working in South Asia, specifically Bangladesh, he has a good understanding of the health and healthcare challenges in the region. He mentioned that his recent work as a special envoy for the UN Secretary on SDGs and climate change is also applicable to Bangladesh. He expressed his fondness for the country, having worked there in 1982 with Save the Children and witnessing many positive initiatives. He expressed his desire for Bangladesh to vote for him, emphasizing that if Bangladesh supports him, it will garner attention from others. With over 30 years of experience in public health, nutrition, and development across national, regional, and global levels, he has held various positions in NGOs, universities, national governments, and the UN system. Additionally, he has served as Senior Coordinator for Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Coordinator of the Movement to Scale Up Nutrition, and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Food Security and Nutrition, a role he will continue to fulfill. When the Ebola outbreak occurred, he was brought in by the UN Secretary General due to the virus rapidly spreading. After assuming the responsibility, he observed that there was an issue, but with the support of everyone, they were able to assist WHO in getting back on track. After a few months, WHO was able to fulfill its intended role. This experience highlighted the need for changes within WHO to detect potential outbreaks faster, respond efficiently, and raise alarms more effectively. In the second half of 2015, the Director General of WHO asked him to lead a group to advise on reforming the organization to better assist countries in responding to outbreaks. The advisory group provided recommendations to enhance response capabilities, prompting him to pursue the position of Director General to see these changes implemented, as he strongly believes in the cause. David Nabarro. It is essential to have the World Health Organization (WHO) in place to handle outbreaks, as there are no other alternatives. The speaker has experience dealing with avian influenza, SARS, cholera, and managing outbreaks. He believes his past experiences have equipped him with the expertise, courage, strategic skills, and management ability needed to lead WHO effectively. He aims to make WHO reliable and efficient in handling outbreaks. He has a proven track record in various areas such as food, nutrition, infectious diseases, climate change, and sustainable development goals. He believes these experiences make him a suitable candidate for the role at WHO. He stated that WHO, under his leadership, will be an organization that is completely transparent and accountable to everyone, as that is the most effective way to manage public services in the modern age. The process of electing the next Director-General began on September 23 of last year, with the announcement of the nominated candidates by Member States. This was followed by interactions between member states and candidates in a password-protected web forum on the WHO website. In November, a live forum took place where candidates presented their visions for the WHO Member States and answered questions about their candidacy. In January, the WHO's Executive Board selected a shortlist of five candidates. The Board members conducted interviews with multiple candidates and then chose three of them to participate in the final voting process at the World Health Assembly in May. The new Director-General will officially start on July 1 of this year. Among the candidates are individuals representing Africa, Asia, and Europe. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia received the highest number of votes from executive members and is endorsed by the African Union. His campaign page describes him as a visionary leader who has successfully led Ethiopia and various global health organizations to achieve significant results and expand their influence. He expressed his vision for a world where all individuals, regardless of their identity or location, can live healthy and productive lives. Dr. Sania Nishtar from Pakistan outlined 10 pledges in her campaign that focused on addressing issues to revitalize the World Health Organization. She emphasized the need for swift reforms, transparency, accountability, efficiency, and a results-driven culture.