Jakarta. Indonesia’s candidate for the top post at the World Health Organization (WHO) aims to promote a fairer global healthcare system that better serves developing countries, newly appointed Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said on Monday.

Indonesia has nominated Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin for the position of WHO director-general. Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Arrmanatha outlined the country’s priorities should Budi win the race.

“We have nominated our health minister as the [candidate] for the WHO director-general. [We seek] a global healthcare architecture that is fairer for developing nations,” Arrmanatha told reporters.

Although Arrmanatha offered few details about Budi’s candidacy, he expressed concern that the existing multilateral system has not adequately addressed the interests of developing countries, underscoring the need for reforms within global institutions.

“We are not only knocking on their doors from outside. We are also fixing the house from within,” the career diplomat said.

The press conference came just hours after Arrmanatha officially took over as foreign minister from his predecessor, Sugiono.

Arrmanatha stressed that Indonesia’s foreign policy direction would remain unchanged, with national interests continuing to take precedence, including efforts to advance global healthcare cooperation.

Budi has also emphasized the importance of giving the Global South -- a term broadly referring to developing and emerging economies -- a stronger voice in international institutions.

“Many countries feel that developing nations, specifically the Global South, must be heard. They are smaller from a population and economic standpoint. So there should be a Global South representative at such global institutions,” Budi said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.

Budi has also urged the United States, historically the WHO’s largest donor, to rejoin the organization. Washington withdrew from the WHO, citing what it described as the agency’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The race to succeed the current WHO chief has attracted seven candidates, including Chinese health official Song Li and Hans Henri P. Kluge of Belgium, the WHO’s regional director for Europe.

Before entering government, Budi built a career in banking. He was appointed deputy minister of state-owned enterprises in 2019 before then-President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo named him health minister in 2020, despite his lack of formal medical training.

His appointment placed him at the forefront of Indonesia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. More recently, Budi has focused on expanding the government's nationwide free health screening program.

The current WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is expected to step down next August, with the selection of his successor scheduled for May.

Read More: Indonesia’s Health Minister Enters Race to Be WHO Chief

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