Saima Wazed Nominated for WHO SEARO Regional Director

The Government of Bangladesh has formally nominated Saima Wazed for the prestigious position of Regional Director of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region (WHO SEARO). Saima Wazed, a well-known champion for public health and mental health, expressed her gratitude for the nomination.

"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 collaboration and listening to communities in order to establish long-term solutions that work from the ground up. This has been the hallmark of my work to far, and that is what I aspire to contribute to this post," said Saima Wazed.

Saima Wazed's impressive career involves the writing of three international resolutions, all of which were afterwards ratified by United Nations and WHO 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 now pursuing her doctorate 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 worked as an advisor to the director general of WHO on mental health and autism since 2019.

Notably, she was named as an Associate Fellow at Chatham House's Global Health Programme in August 2023. She formerly served as a commissioner at the Commission for Universal Health beginning in 2022. She has also served as the Climate Vulnerable Forum's theme ambassador for vulnerability since 2020. She was WHO SEARO's goodwill ambassador for autism from 2017 to 2019.

She is the principal adviser for the National Mental Health Strategic Plan 2020-2025 in Bangladesh, and she has headed the National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders since 2012.

Saima Wazed has held adjunct professor positions at Barry University in the United States, visiting faculty at Dhaka University, visiting specialist at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, and visiting faculty at the National Institute of Mental Health in Dhaka. She has been asked to speak at a number of high-level conferences and events worldwide.

Saima Wazed's extensive international recognition includes 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.

It is worth mentioning that the government of Nepal, together with Bangladesh, has proposed a candidate for the coveted job of WHO SEARO Regional Director.

The eleven WHO SEARO member countries, comprising 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 post. Stay tuned for further information on this critical appointment, which will have an influence on public health in Southeast Asia.