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Saima Wazed, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been elected as the World Health Organization's regional director for South-East Asia, encompassing 11 nations.
Member states, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, voted to nominate Saima during a closed meeting at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in New Delhi, the UN agency said in a statement on Wednesday, as per bdnews24.com reports.
Saima Wazed was elected as WHO regional director. The nomination will be submitted to the WHO Executive Board during its 154th session in Switzerland in January. Saima is expected to take office on Feb 1, 2024, for a five-year term.
Saima, who spearheads mental health campaigns across the world as a WHO expert, will become the first Bangladeshi to assume the post, which was established in 1948 as part of WHO's regional divisions.