Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge is a Belgian physician and public health expert who serves as WHO Regional Director for Europe.
He began his second term in the role on 1 February 2025, following his unanimous renomination by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe and reappointment by the WHO Executive Board.
He holds qualifications in medicine, surgery and obstetrics from the Catholic University of Leuven (1994), as well as tropical medicine from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (1995), and began his career as a family doctor in Belgium.
From 1995, on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium, he worked in emergency settings in Liberia and Somalia, coordinating tuberculosis control programmes and delivering medical care in conflict zones. He subsequently worked across numerous international contexts before spending a decade leading the Division of Health Systems and Public Health at WHO Europe.
During his first term, he guided the European Region through major public health crises - including COVID-19, mpox, war-related emergencies and extreme weather events - with notable achievements including facilitating the administration of 1.7 billion COVID-19 vaccines and saving an estimated 2.1 million lives.