Saima Wazed

Wazed was born to Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, and M. A. Wazed Miah, a nuclear scientist. Her brother is Sajeeb Wazed Joy. She graduated from Barry University. She is a licensed school psychologist. ==Career==

, Sheikh Hasina and Barack Obama in New York, September 2009 Wazed organized the first South Asian conference on Autism in 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is the chairperson of National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders. She campaigned for "Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders" resolution at the World Health Assembly which adopted the resolution, Autism Speaks praised her for spearheading "a truly global push for support for this resolution". She had been drafted as a global autism advocate of World Health Organization's (WHO) 25-member Expert Advisory Panel on mental health for 4 years in 2014. In November, 2016, Wazed had been elected as chairperson of International Jury Board meeting of UNESCO for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. In April 2017, Wazed was designated as "WHO Champion for Autism" in South-East Asia. In July, 2017 she became the WHO's goodwill ambassador for autism in the South-East Asia Region. Since 2022, Wazed has been a member of the Commission for Universal Health convened by Chatham House and co-chaired by Helen Clark and Jakaya Kikwete. On 24 September 2024, she attended the 79th. United Nations General Assembly, New York, and made a speech about improving the global inefficiencies as Emergency, Conflict and Climate Crisis Situations and their physical and psychological impacts on adults and children. In November 2025, she was sentenced to 5 years in jail for the Purbachal scam cases. == Controversies ==

In 2025, Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed two cases against Wazed alleging she falsified her academic credentials to secure her position and misused her influence to obtain approximately $2.8 million from banks for the Shuchona Foundation, which she previously led. These allegations followed earlier claims that her mother, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, improperly influenced Wazed's 2023 election to the WHO role. In April 2025, Wazed's flat in Gulshan was seized by the Anti-Corruption Commission. On 11 July 2025, she was placed on indefinite leave from the World Health Organization (WHO) following allegations of providing false information about her academic qualifications during the nomination process. The allegations involve potential violations of Sections 468 and 471 of the Bangladesh Penal Code, which pertain to forgery and the use of forged documents. The Telegraph reported that she forged documents and defalcated 2.7M dollars through a non-profit foundation named Shuchona Foundation, which is chaired by herself. ==Awards==

In 2016, Wazed was conferred World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region Award for Excellence in Public Health. In 2017, she was awarded the International Champion Award for her outstanding contribution to the field of autism. She received a distinguished alumni award from Barry University for her activism. ==Personal life==

Wazed was married to Khandakar Masrur Hossain Mitu, son of Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. The couple have four children. ==References==