Hans Kluge

WHO Regional Director for Europe

Dr Hans Kluge began his term as WHO Regional Director for Europe on 1 February 2020, following his appointment by the WHO Executive Board. Hans Kluge has been active in public health for more than 25 years. He started his career as a family doctor in Belgium and served for Médecins Sans Frontières in Liberia and Somalia. He worked on large-scale tuberculosis programmes in prison systems in Siberia and several countries of the former Soviet Union. At the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, he was responsible for tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria programmes in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Myanmar. In 2009, he moved to the WHO Regional Office for Europe. As Director of the Division of Health Systems and Public Health he was engaged in largescale transformations of health systems; studies on universal health coverage and financial protection; prioritized a focus on service delivery including integrated and primary health care; and built strong partnerships on health system performance and reforms with global and European health organisations, civil society and donors.