Global Fund Nomination Committee names nine candidates for Executive Director position

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Jan 9 2007

A nomination committee to name candidates for the executive director of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has narrowed the selection pool to nine people, the Boston Globe reports (Donnelly, Boston Globe, 1/9).

The Global Fund in November 2006 called off plans to name a new executive director to succeed Richard Feachem -- whose contract ends in March -- and launched a new search. Board members at closed meetings in November 2006 were unable to agree on one of two finalists. The final two candidates were Michel Kazatchkine, a former Global Fund vice chair and France's global ambassador for HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, and Michel Sidibe, director of UNAIDS' country and regional support department, according to meeting participants (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/3/06). Sidibe withdrew his candidacy for the position, saying in a Dec. 17, 2006, e-mail to Global Fund board Chair Carol Jacobs that the voting process had "bitterly polarized" the Global Fund board (Boston Globe, 1/9). The board rules state that the executive director must be supported by seven out of 10 members from developed countries and seven out of 10 members from developing countries. Sidibe was supported by the developing country members but not by a sufficient number of developed country members -- although the U.S. voted for him -- according to the participants. Kazatchkine was supported by developed country members but not by enough developing country members, according to participants of the November 2006 meeting (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/3/2006). According to the Globe, an unnamed source familiar with the nomination committee proceedings said that the nine candidates for the post are:

Kazatchkine;
Julio Frenk, former health minister of Mexico and a finalist in last year's search for a new World Health Organization head;
David Nabarro, senior WHO administrator leading U.N. efforts to fight avian and pandemic flu;
Alex Coutinho, manager of AIDS treatment programs in Uganda;
Carol Bellamy, president of World Learning and former UNICEF director;
Kunio Waki, deputy executive director of the U.N. Population Fund;
Jack Chow, former U.S. Department of State senior official who also oversaw WHO AIDS programs;
Arata Kochi, head of WHO's Malaria Department; and
Brad Herbert, former Global Fund director of operations.

All of the candidates either were nominated by a member of the Global Fund board or applied for the post. The nomination committee next week will interview the nine finalists and on Jan. 19 is expected to present to the full board a list of five candidates, the Globe reports (Boston Globe, 1/9).

This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.