WHO SEAR Director Saima Wazed Honoured with Mental Health Award 2025 at 24th IMHC in Bangkok, Thailand.
Awards
On July 1, 2025, Saima Wazed, the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation – South-East Asia Region (WHO SEAR), was honoured with the prestigious Mental Health Award 2025 during the 24th Annual International Mental Health Conference (IMHC) held at ICONSIAM, Bangkok, Thailand. The award recognizes her transformative leadership in shaping the global mental health landscape.
- The award was presented on the inaugural day of IMHC 2025, jointly organised by Thailand’s Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, Jittavejjasri Songkroa Foundation, and Somdet Chaopraya Institute of Psychiatry. It aims to honour outstanding global contributions in the field of mental wellness.
- Saima Wazed was selected for this honour due to her invaluable efforts in neurodevelopmental disorder awareness, autism advocacy, inclusive education, and public mental health. She has played a key role in mental health policymaking across South-East Asia.
- In February 2024, Saima officially took over as the Regional Director of WHO-SEAR, making her the first person from Bangladesh and only the second woman after Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh (India) to lead one of WHO’s six global regions.
Main Point :- (i) Saima Wazed, daughter of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, is a licensed school psychologist. She is internationally recognised for her leadership in mental health and disability inclusion. She served as WHO-SEAR’s Regional Champion in 2015 and was named WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in 2017.
(ii) In 2014, she became the recipient of WHO-SEAR’s Excellence in Public Health Award. Her longstanding commitment to inclusive policies for children with neurodevelopmental conditions has shaped regional frameworks.
(iii) WHO SEAR was established in November 1948, and its headquarters is located in New Delhi, India. The region comprises 11 member countries, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, DPR Korea, and Timor-Leste, which regularly collaborate on key public health issues.
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