Saima Wazed Nominated for WHO SEARO Regional Director by Bangladesh Government

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 5 September 2023

Saima Wazed has been formally nominated by the Government of Bangladesh for the coveted position of Regional Director of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region (WHO SEARO). Saima Wazed, a well-known advocate for public health and mental health, expressed her appreciation for the honour.

"If elected, I intend to work closely with Member States to realise my vision for our region's public health policies and practises." I believe in cooperation and listening to communities in order to build long-term solutions from the ground up. This has been the hallmark of my work thus far, and that is what I hope to bring to this position," said Saima Wazed.

Saima Wazed's noteworthy career includes the creation of three international resolutions, all of which were later accepted by United Nations and World Health Organisation member countries:

• WHO 67.8: Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders was published in 2014.
• WHO-RC issued the following recommendation in 2012: SEA/RC65/R8: Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities.
• In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 67/82: Addressing the Socioeconomic Needs of Individuals, Families, and Societies Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Disorders, and Associated Disabilities.

She is presently a doctoral candidate in Organisational Leadership at Barry University in the United States. Saima Wazed has been a member of WHO's Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health since 2014 and has served as a mental health and autism advisor to WHO's Director General since 2019.

Notably, in August 2023, she was designated an Associate Fellow at Chatham House's Global Health Programme. Beginning in 2022, she will serve as a commissioner on the Commission for Universal Health. Since 2020, she has also served as the Climate Vulnerable Forum's topic ambassador for vulnerability. From 2017 to 2019, she served as WHO SEARO's goodwill ambassador for autism.

She is the primary adviser for Bangladesh's National Mental Health Strategic Plan 2020-2025, and she has served as the chair of the National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders since 2012.

Saima Wazed has worked as an adjunct professor at Barry University in the United States, as a visiting faculty member at Dhaka University, as a visiting specialist at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, and as a visiting faculty member at Dhaka's National Institute of Mental Health. She has been invited to speak at a number of high-level conferences and events all around the world.

The WHO SEARO citation for Excellence in Public Health, the Distinguished Alumni Award by Barry University in the United States, the International Champion Award by Shema Kolainu in the United States, and being named an Innovative (Women) Leader in Global Mental Health by Columbia University are among Saima Wazed's numerous international honours.

It is worth noting that the Nepalese government, in collaboration with Bangladesh, has submitted a candidate for the coveted position of WHO SEARO Regional Director.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste will vote for the Regional Director position. Stay tuned for further details on this significant appointment, which will have major impact on Southeast Asia's public health.