Nomination period is from 1 March to 1 May 2012

The Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will elect a new Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau during the 28th Pan American Sanitary Conference, to be held 17—21 September 2012 at PAHO Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The Director's term of office will begin on 1 February 2013 and end 31 January 2018. The new Director will be eligible for one additional mandate of five years.

Rules governing the election call for the process to begin by 1 March 2012 with the President of the PAHO Executive Committee notifying PAHO's Member States, Participating States, and Associate Members and inviting nominations for the Director's post to be submitted to the Executive Committee President.

Each Member State, Participating State, or Associate Member may nominate one national from a country within the Region. The submission deadline is 1 May 2012. All nomination documents will be translated and made available in PAHO's four official languages by 1 June 2012.

The new Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau will succeed Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, from Argentina, who began her term on 1 February 2003.

More information on the election process may be found in Article 21, paragraph A of the PAHO Constitution; Part IX, Rule 56 of the Rules of Procedure of the Conference; and in the Rules Governing the Election Process for the Position of Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, as approved by Resolution CD47.R4, available in English, pdf French . pdf Portuguese , and pdf Spanish .