President Joe Biden intends to nominate Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to be the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization's executive board, a White House official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Murthy has served as the top U.S. doctor under Biden and under former President Barack Obama. He will continue in that role while taking on the WHO position, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
"With his experience and expertise, the president is confident that Dr. Murthy will build on his commitment to an era of relentless diplomacy by representing our nation on the world stage," the official said.
"Rejoining the WHO requires an experienced and seasoned physician and public health expert," who can expand on the U.S. commitment to global health, the official said. "Dr. Murthy is the perfect person for that."
Upon taking office in January 2021, Biden declared that the United States would reengage with the WHO after his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, said in 2020 that the country would withdraw from the organization because of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The WHO's executive board has 34 members who serve 3-year terms. Its purpose, according to the organization's website, is to prepare an agenda for and implement policies by the World Health Assembly, which is made up of the WHO member states. The U.S. has not had a Senate-confirmed representative on the board since 2020.
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