Welcome to the Sixty-Sixth Session of the IARC Governing Council
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was established in May 1965 through a resolution of the Eighteenth World Health Assembly, as an extension of the World Health Organization (WHO), after a French initiative. As a WHO Agency, IARC follows the general governing rules of the United Nations family. However, it is governed by its own governing bodies: the IARC Governing Council and the IARC Scientific Council.
Governing Council
IARC’s general policy is directed by a Governing Council, composed of the Representatives of Participating States and of the WHO Director-General. Its research programme is regularly reviewed by a Scientific Council. The Governing Council elects IARC’s Director, who normally serves for a five-year term.
In May 2023, the Governing Council elected Dr Elisabete Weiderpass (Brazil) as Director of the Agency, for a five-year term. She took office on 1 January 2024.
The IARC Governing Council meets every year in ordinary session, usually the week before the WHO World Health Assembly.
