Articles / WHO Leadership Development: Building Global Health Leaders
Development, Training & CoachingExplore WHO leadership development initiatives. Learn how the World Health Organization builds health sector leadership through training, frameworks, and programmes.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Sat 10th January 2026
WHO leadership development encompasses comprehensive initiatives designed to build healthcare leadership capacity worldwide—including the Leadership for Health Programme with Harvard School of Public Health, the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme which has trained over 250 senior WHO staff and 150 Ministry officials since 2018, and the WHO Academy's competency-based courses addressing the documented scarcity of adequately trained public health professionals in responsible positions. These efforts address critical leadership gaps in global health systems.
How does the World Health Organization approach leadership development? This question matters because effective health systems require capable leaders at every level. WHO recognises that leadership gaps limit health system effectiveness, driving systematic investment in developing leaders who can navigate complex challenges, implement reforms, and improve population health outcomes.
This guide examines WHO's approach to leadership development, helping healthcare professionals understand the organisation's strategies for building global health leadership capacity.
Why development matters.
"The scarcity of adequately trained public health professionals in responsible positions and the absence of leadership training in most public health educational programmes continue to hinder the pursuit of health reforms and the promotion of population health and well-being."
Gap manifestations:
"Despite the documented importance of leadership in safety and quality improvement, there are currently limited resources available for the training of health-care leaders on a global level."
Resource constraints:
| Challenge | Impact |
|---|---|
| Training availability | Limited global reach |
| Programme quality | Inconsistent standards |
| Access barriers | Geographic and financial |
| Curriculum gaps | Missing competencies |
| Sustainability | Short-term focus |
"Leadership within the health sector and stewardship when working with non-health sectors, are arguably the most complex functions of any health system. They are also the most critical."
Leadership importance:
The approach to building leaders.
"These courses aim to strengthen public health professionals' leadership competencies and build a new breed of agile leaders for whom learning and self-reflection constitute their ways of working."
Agile leader characteristics:
Building specific capabilities:
Competency focus:
"The programme also seeks to increase personal and interpersonal awareness of health professionals, sharpen their analytical skills and gain a greater understanding of the complex issues facing managers."
Awareness development:
Standards for health leadership.
"The Framework identifies the competencies required by leaders of health-care organizations in relation to demonstrating excellence in the delivery of safe and quality health services."
Framework elements:
The framework builds on:
Development sources:
Key leadership areas:
Domain coverage:
| Domain | Focus |
|---|---|
| Strategic | Vision and direction |
| Operational | Execution and delivery |
| Relational | People and partnerships |
| Personal | Self-management |
| Technical | Health system expertise |
Harvard partnership excellence.
"A joint collaboration between the World Health Organization and Harvard School of Public Health, the Leadership for Health programme is an initiative of the Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean."
Partnership elements:
"The intensive programme aims to establish a critical mass of public health leaders capable of proactively tackling national, regional, and global health challenges that impact the health and socioeconomic well-being of populations."
Programme aims:
"The programme's first round launched in January 2015 and has since expanded to serve multiple regions."
Expansion trajectory:
African innovation with global reach.
"Since its inception in 2018, the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme has empowered over 250 senior WHO staff from different regions, as well as more than 150 senior officials from the Ministries of Health in Congo, Benin, Ghana, Niger, and Lesotho."
Impact statistics:
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| WHO staff trained | 250+ |
| Ministry officials trained | 150+ |
| Countries reached | 5+ |
| Years operating | Since 2018 |
"In 2023, the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme was extended to other regions of the WHO and health ministries. A cohort of 20 senior staff from the European Region, a joint WHO Africa/Europe Cohort of 23 senior staff, and another joint Africa/Europe Cohort of 20 WHO Representatives were trained."
Regional collaboration:
"A second exclusive female staff cohort of the WHO Africa Pathways to Leadership Programme resulted in an increased percentage of female staff equipped with the requisite leadership competencies to effectively transform Africa's health from 38% in 2019 to 48% in 2022."
Gender progress:
Digital learning for global reach.
The WHO Academy provides:
Platform capabilities:
Academy leadership offerings:
Course types:
WHO Academy certificates provide:
Certificate benefits:
Building internal capacity.
"WHO committed to building a motivated and fit-for-purpose workforce by establishing a new and expanded Human Resources and Talent Department."
Internal initiatives:
"WHO's new strategic plan, the Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023 (GPW 13) is structured around WHO's bold triple billion targets for 2019–2023 and outlines the organizational shifts that are needed to ensure that WHO is fit-for-purpose."
Strategic connection:
"For the first time in WHO's history, they established a Science Division dedicated to ensuring their work is underpinned by the best available science."
Science focus:
How WHO develops leaders.
Programme structure includes:
Learning modes:
"To participate, countries must send an official Expression of Interest to the WHO Head of Country Office from the Ministry of Health, enroll a minimum of 15 senior Ministry of Health staff per cohort, and commit to fully participate in the four-month blended programme including face-to-face, coaching and virtual sessions."
Participation requirements:
Programmes include:
Coaching elements:
Tracking leadership growth.
Measure development through:
Assessment methods:
Track programme impact:
Outcome indicators:
Ensure lasting impact:
Sustainability elements:
WHO leadership development encompasses comprehensive initiatives to build healthcare leadership capacity globally. These include the Leadership for Health Programme with Harvard, the Pathways to Leadership Programme which has trained 400+ leaders since 2018, and the WHO Academy's competency-based courses addressing the scarcity of trained public health professionals.
WHO invests in leadership development because leadership is the most critical function of any health system, yet there is a documented scarcity of adequately trained leaders. Leadership gaps hinder health reforms and population health promotion. Without capable leaders, other health system components cannot function effectively.
WHO offers multiple leadership development programmes including: the Leadership for Health Programme (Harvard partnership), Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme, WHO Academy digital courses, Primary Healthcare Leadership Course, and regional public health leadership courses in Europe, Africa, and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
WHO leadership programmes serve different audiences. Some target senior WHO staff, others focus on Ministry of Health officials. Programmes typically require official Expressions of Interest, organisational endorsement, minimum cohort sizes, and commitment to full programme participation across several months.
WHO develops leadership competencies through blended learning combining face-to-face sessions, virtual learning, coaching support, peer learning, and self-directed study. Programmes focus on strategic thinking, change management, communication, stakeholder engagement, and building self-awareness and analytical skills.
The Pathways to Leadership Programme is WHO's flagship initiative for health transformation, originating in Africa in 2018. It has trained over 250 senior WHO staff and 150 Ministry officials across multiple countries. In 2023, it expanded to include European Region staff and cross-regional cohorts.
The WHO Leadership Competencies Framework identifies competencies required by healthcare organisation leaders for delivering safe, quality health services. It builds on literature review and national competency models, covering strategic, operational, relational, personal, and technical leadership domains.