WHO SEARO Director Saima Wazed Resigns After Member States Recommend Termination

Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, resigned on 9 September 2026, one day after the Regional Committee recommended her termination. The resignation follows political pressure linked to her family's ouster, marking an unusual leadership crisis within a WHO regional office. The move could affect WHO operations in the region and reflects geopolitical fallout from Bangladesh's political transition.