So how many charismatic, visionary individuals with impeccable technical credentials are there out there in the world of global health? Let's hope there are at least three, and that they are all in the market for new jobs that offer non-stop opportunities for fundraising and political brinksmanship, along with a daily dose of staff malaise. Three major global health posts are in transition at the moment -- the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the World Bank's Senior Vice President of the Human Development Network -- and the selection processes are being scrutinized and critiqued, report Andrew Jack in the Financial Times and Betsy McKay in the Wall Street Journal (subscriptions required). Both correspondents note The Lancet's particularly trenchant indictment of the secrecy with which the Global Fund leadership decision is being made -- perhaps another example of how international organizations have trouble following all the good advice they give to developing country governments about the value of transparency.
As these positions are filled through systems that do not even vaguely resemble open processes, there's a clear message to those who are calling the shots: Many who know how important global health is to prospects for economic and social development are watching, and will continue to push for higher levels of accountability by international organizations.
