Earlier this morning, Professor Itamar Grotto, Associate Director-General at the Israeli Ministry of Health, was elected to the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Geneva-based United Nations (UN) Agency charged with directing and coordinating global public health.
Prof. Grotto will serve as a representative of the European Region, alongside three new European representatives from Finland, Germany and Romania.
The election took place in Geneva during the 71th session of the World Health Assembly, the organization’s top decision-making body.
“It is both a great honor and a great responsibility” Prof. Grotto said following his election. “I hope to bring the best of Israel’s knowledge and expertise and work with our partners towards achieving health for all.”
Israel’s priorities at the Executive Board will include, among others, the Health Emergencies Program, polio eradication, reduction of non-communicable diseases, access to assistive technologies, and technology and innovation for health.
“This is a great accomplishment for Israel, and a world recognition of Israel’s expertise in the field of health,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Aviva Raz Shechter commented, adding that “the WHO must remain a professional and expert-led organization. The global health challenges we face deserve the full and undivided attention of the international community.”
Prof. Grotto previously served as Director of Public Health Services at Israel's Ministry of Health, and has been representing Israel in the WHO in various capacities since 2013. He holds a PhD from the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Prof. Itamar Grotto is the second Israeli to hold the position, 25 years after the election of Mrs. Pnina Herzog.