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WHO in occupied Palestinian territory
WHO Representative
Dr Reinhilde Van de Weerdt WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territoryDr Reinhilde “Renee” Van de Weerdt, a national of Belgium, was appointed as WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory in January 2026.
She brings extensive experience in global health, emergency management, and maternal and child health across multiple agencies.
Dr Van de Weerdt began her career as a Medical Coordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium, working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Chad, Rwanda, and the Chechen Republic (Russia Federation) between 1994 and 1998. She then served as a Medical Officer in WHO’s Polio Department from 1998 to 2004.
In 2004, Dr Van de Weerdt joined UNICEF, where she held several leadership roles, including Health and Nutrition Officer in Chad (2004–2006), Senior Health Adviser for Child Survival (2006–2007), and Chief of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health at UNICEF Headquarters in New York (2008–2013).
She subsequently served as Senior Technical Advisor for Reproductive Health Commodities with UNFPA in New York from 2013 to 2017.
In 2017, Dr Van de Weerdt returned to WHO as Chief of Emergency Management and Support within the Health Emergencies Programme. She has since served as WHO Representative in Somalia and Djibouti.
Dr Van de Weerdt holds a medical degree from the University of Leuven, a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wales.
