Sheikh Hasina's daughter quits WHO post
What's the story
Saima Wazed, the daughter of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned from her position as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Southeast Asia regional director, a position she took over in early 2024. Her resignation comes amid ongoing investigations into allegations of fraud and forgery by the UN agency and Bangladeshi authorities. Wazed was first put on unpaid administrative leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against her in March that year alleging fraud and forgery.
Resignation details
Lost all trust and confidence in Tedros's leadership: Wazed
In her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Wazed expressed a loss of trust in his leadership.
She said she was elected to serve the region but was prevented from performing her duties.
"I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done," Wazed said in her resignation letter to Tedros sent late Wednesday.
Letter
'Since you continue to prevent me...'
"Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO," she wrote.
"Moreover, after nearly one year without any remuneration following your decision to place me on unpaid leave, my financial situation has become untenable. In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside," she concluded.
Allegations detailed
Allegations of financial fraud
The WHO has accused Wazed of committing financial fraud in relation to her travel to China and misrepresenting her academic credentials, allegations she denies.
In a July letter, Wazed, through her lawyers, denied any travel fraud, saying it was an administrative error by an assistant processing routine reimbursement requests and involved $901.
Regarding the credentials accusation, she said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh, which she had disclosed to Tedros.
Political context
WHO was already planning to remove her
Two sources earlier told Reuters that the WHO was planning to formally remove Wazed and start the process of selecting her successor, with nominations to be announced on October 12 and elections scheduled for January 24.
Regional directors are among the world's most influential health policymakers, with responsibilities that include responding to outbreaks and emergencies and tailoring WHO policies to local situations.
They are elected every five years by member states, including Bangladesh and India, from Southeast Asian region.