WAHID MILTON
Saima Wazed has been elected as World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for South East Asia (SEARO) for the next five years. She won the election by 8-2 votes.State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam confirmed the development yesterday.
Among the candidates, Saima Wazed was nominated by Bangladesh, and Dr Shambhu Prasad Acharya was nominated by Nepal.
The Regional Committee of WHO South-East Asia voted on Wednesday to nominate the next regional director in a closed meeting during its 76th session in New Delhi, India. Health Minister Zahed Maleque and health secretary, among others, were present.
Reacting to the news, Saima Wazed wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) account: “Thank you to @WHOSEARO Member States for choosing me to be their next Regional Director!”
“I would like to pay tribute to our outgoing RD, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, for her decade of service to the public health of our region.
“A special tribute as well for my fellow nominee in this race, Dr Acharya. In his long & distinguished career, he has been an invaluable asset to @WHO – and I hope our region will continue to benefit from his knowledge & experience.
“I look forward to building a healthier South-East Asia,” she wrote.
The nomination will be submitted for appointment by the 154th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place from January 22 to 27, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.The newly appointed regional director will take office on February 1, 2024 for a five-year term and be eligible for reappointment once.Earlier, Saima was nominated by the Government of Bangladesh for the post of regional director of WHO SEARO.
