Dr. Bertrand Sinal, elected Vice-President of the WHO Executive Board

Dr. Bertrand Sinal, head of the Haitian delegation to the 79th World Health Assembly and Minister of Public Health and Population, has been elected Vice-President of the WHO Executive Board.

Meeting in Geneva from May 18 to 23, 2026, the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) are discussing the main challenges that threaten health systems at both the national and international levels.

“Redefining global health: a shared responsibility” is the official theme on which each Member State, including Haiti, is trying to make its case to draw the attention of the Executive Council to national concerns, which is responsible, among other things, for ensuring the implementation of adopted policies and resolutions.

Last year, the Haitian delegation, headed by the Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Bertrand Sinal, took a historic step by securing, for the first time, a seat on the executive council, composed of 34 member states out of the 194 that make up the World Health Assembly.

"Being part of the WHO Executive Board for the first time is much more than a privilege for us: it is a commitment to actively participate in the most important decisions that shape global health," he said on the sidelines of the 2025 World Health Assembly.

This year, driven by a determination to bring Haiti's health problems to the global stage, including the diphtheria epidemic and the lack of funding for the health system, Dr. Bertrand Sinal made a bit more history by securing a position as vice-president on the WHO executive council.

Together with Dr. Katarzyna Drążek-Laskowska (Poland), Dr. Bertrand Sinal can now substitute for the president of the executive council in their absence and act as an ex officio member of each of the council's standing committees: the executive council's program, budget and administration committee and the standing committee on prevention, preparedness and response in the event of a health emergency...

"On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Haiti in general, and of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé in particular," the minister thanked the Member States for the trust placed in this delegation.

“This election sends a powerful message: countries facing fragility, crises, and structural challenges must fully participate in important global health decision-making. Our country will bring to the Executive Board a voice committed to equity, the dignity of populations, and concrete responses to health and humanitarian emergencies,” emphasized the new Vice-President of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board for the Region of the Americas.

Source: lenouvelliste